Sad Song
by Cedek18
Summary: Sequel to Just A Big Teddy Bear. Peridot gets a hold of Jasper, but can she convince her to stay as she hides her in the safety of the bathroom? And the small gem has another problem on her hands besides the cluster, and is too stubborn to ask for the help she needs. Maybe a friend could help fix all of her problems... or just make it worse. Contains platonic Jaspidot fluff
1. Memories of Misery

**Author's Note:**

Hey Guys! This is a continuation of my one-shot called "Just A Big Teddy Bear". So you should read that one first. Just so you know… When you see this ***** it means it's a "Page break" and when you see words _italicized_ , those are thoughts. (Just thought I should point that out). Well without further ado, let us begin our story!

 **Disclaimer:**

I do not own Steven Universe!

 **Sad Song**

 **Chapter One: Memories of Misery**

The dark walls gave an echo of heavy steps as Jasper hurriedly ran down the bare halls of the cavern. Her wild white-blonde hair trailed behind her like a cape. Her cuts and bruises stung as she darted past little caves that she stole a glance of as she went by. She was searching for something, no, someone, as she ran in the seemingly never ending dark. Her bright yellow cat-like eyes searched the dark fiercely. Her gruff voice was laced with urgency as it bounced off the cavern walls.

"Where the HELL is she!?"

She had to find her. She wouldn't be able to handle it if she didn't.

Jasper didn't know what to expect when the Lazuli actually released her from her water prison. But this was NOT what she expected at ALL. Nope. Nada. Not a single cell in her muscular body expected this. She honestly thought that nobody, not even the gem famous for her future vision, Garnet, saw this coming.

But all in all, it wasn't THAT hard to believe. That the fierce Homeworld Gem known as Jasper, joined the Crystal Gems, and that they had not needed to use force to get her to do so... Well, not THAT much force. She remembered that day as if it were yesterday, even though weeks had already passed since that confusing day.

Her body was coated in salt water, and wet sand had stuck to her body like it had an absolute right to be there. The sensation of ringing in her ears from the screams and yells that both her and the Lazuli had made from the sheer pain of splitting the fusion. The sand was cold and wet under her body, forcing a shiver down her spine. Her inability to move was astounding to her, her mind and body too weak from the strain the fusion had placed on it. She was glad no one would see her like this; a weak failure, to both herself and to her Homeworld.

She peaked one eye open, not surprised to see the dying sun floating above the hell that humans called the ocean. _No wonder why it's so freaking cold..._ Night was upon her, but with her body incapable of moving, she gave a hearty sigh. _Not much I can do now._ So she decided to stay in the same spot the whole night, waiting for her body to heal itself. She didn't want to revert back into her gem, that was even more dangerous. This way at least she had some form of protection from the outside world, she didn't want to get shattered just yet.

She had waited so long for this day to come; the day she was finally released from her personal water hell. As soon as she had washed up on the beach, she finally had time to think without anyone else in her head. She thought of one thing, _what the hell do I do now?_ Sure it sounded pretty self-centered, but hey, every gem for themselves. That was basically what Homeworld taught young gems; unless you're in the warfront, you have no reason to protect anyone else but yourself. Now that Jasper thought about it, it sounded absolutely terrible. But what was done was done, she was just a quart, not a diamond, she had no control of anything besides her troops.

She couldn't go home. Not anymore at least. She had failed her mission, which was something that low class gems got shattered for... She didn't think a war veteran would get the same demise, but failing such a simple task as being an escort...

Oh _crap..._

She WAS an escort. But where was Peridot!?

Jasper felt a knot in her stomach form, what if Peridot had gotten shattered by the rebels? Jasper herself was dragged in the ocean before she had gotten the chance to meet back up with Peridot. Strangely, she felt anxiety build up in her chest at the thought.

She hoped Peridot was okay.

 **Author's Note:**

So… tell me what you think please! I need to know so I could write better. Or just tell me your thoughts on it. I hope you all have a wonderful day! :)


	2. Slacking Off

**Author's Note:**

Well, here's chapter two! This chapter is a lot longer than chapter one.

 **Disclaimer:**

I don't own Steven Universe, even though I wish I did!

 **Sad Song**

 **Chapter Two: Slacking Off**

"Guys! Come on, it's a beautiful day outside! Can we at least do something fun besides working on the drill?" Steven had been complaining for what seemed like hours now, trying to persuade the gems to do something fun. And his whining was starting to give Pearl a headache.

"Steven, you know that we need to finish the drill..." Sure the drill was almost complete, but that didn't mean they could put it off. They needed to finish it while they could and as quick as they could if they wanted to stop the Cluster. Plus they needed to make sure this specific drill worked. What was the point of slacking off? But that was just Pearl; Amethyst seemed to enjoy it.

Peridot sat by the fence with her back turned to Steven and the other gems, choosing to ignore them rather than join in on the "conversation". Which, to her, was basically Steven whining to the pale gem about doing something that Pearl had dubbed as "slacking off". But Steven still persisted, though it seemed to have no affect on the pearl.

She was glad to have time to herself for once; no Steven telling her pointless stories, or Amethyst constantly bothering her. She gave a small tug to the leash that Garnet had put on her and gave a sad frown. She hated feeling contained, like she wasn't a gem, but someone's pet. She cringed at the very thought. But her thoughts were interrupted by Steven's outburst.

"Come on Pearl! Can we at least go to the beach to cool off?"

Wait... beach? At that point, Peridot finally decided to join in on the conversation. "What's a beach?" The confused look on her face made her nose scrunch up, causing little wrinkles to form. She eyed Steven, relying on him to give the answer as he always did if she had any questions about earth culture.

Steven's face lit up, and stars formed in his eyes. "It's just the most amazing place to be! The beach has crabs, sand, and water! It's awesome!" He was practically jumping by the end of his explanation. He was about to go on with his list of things that he always saw at the beach, but was stopped. Peridot had her hands on her temples, rubbing soothing circles at the intense pain her brain felt at the moment.

"Slow down! I don't know what any of that even means!"

"Oh…Sorry." Steven said in a sheepish manner.

"A beach is a place humans use to have fun. They go in the water to cool off if it's hot outside." Garnet answered for Steven, trying to explain it better than he did. And by the understanding look on Peridot's face, she did.

"Hey nerd, have you ever even been in water before?" Amethyst teased the green gem, and elbowed her in the ribs. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were too scared to even touch it!"

"I am not! I just..." She rubbed her ribs where Amethyst had elbowed her, "...haven't been in it before..." Her face had gotten darker after her outburst, feeling uncomfortable by the gems stares.

"That settles it! Now we HAVE to go to the beach!" Steven said exasperated. He turned to Garnet, "Please, please, please, please!?" He was on her foot now, with fake tears in his eyes.

"Sure."

"Garnet! What about the drill!?" Pearl questioned.

"Steven is a kid Pearl. He needs a break every once in a while."

"I'll go get my beach bag!" Steven ran off in the direction of the temple, excitement on his face.

"Woohoo!" Amethyst yelled and ran for the temple too. But instead of going with Steven to get his bag, she stayed outside and morphed into her beach outfit.

This left Pearl, Garnet, and Peridot back at the barn. Peridot shot a confused look at Garnet, and voiced her confusion shortly after.

"What in the stars just happened?"

"Log date 7 13 2, this is Peridot. The Steven has forced me and the...Crystal Gems into partaking in a human activity known as beach-ing." She stopped herself and wondered if she had said that right, but continued shortly after. "I have decided that this activity is pointless, the water is below my desired temperature and the sand has... gone in places... it shouldn't have. Peridot. Facet Five. End Log." She blushed, pressed the stop button, and sat her beloved recorder on the beach towel she was currently sitting on.

"Peridot, it's just called going to the beach." Steven corrected. "And the water is supposed to be cool. Now get off that towel and help me make a sand castle!"

"A structure made out of this sand seems like a terrible idea Steven. How would you defend anything!?" At the end of her outburst, she picked up some sand with her hands. "See! These particles don't even stick together! How could you even MAKE anything at all?" She had the terrible feeling that everything she knew was wrong, that Steven knew something she didn't.

Steven could sense Peridot's building anxiety, so he tried to sooth her. He thought deeply for a few seconds, and then a brilliant idea formed. He acted it out as soon as he knew what to do. He scooted closer to Peridot so that he was right in front of her.

Peridot's brain was on overdrive. You could practically see the smoke coming from her ears. She was wringing her hands through her triangle shaped blonde hair when she noticed that someone was right in front of her. She looked up to notice that Steven was the one directly in front of her, with a look of determination on his face.

But this only seemed to only puzzle her more then she already was.

Steven brought his right hand up, making Peridot flinch a little bit. But that didn't stop him, he brought his hand down and did what he had to do.

He lightly tapped her nose and childishly said, "Boop!"

Peridot blinked multiple times, and then gave a dignified, "Hey!" and rubbed her nose as if put he something on it.

Steven smiled proudly; glad that she forgot about the problem she was having beforehand. "Peridot." He had her attention. "When you make a sand castle, you have to get the sand wet," He took one of his red buckets from his beach bag, and proceeded in filling it with sand and water. "You can put it in a bucket or you could just use your hand if you want!" He packed the now wet sand in the bucket, and then he tipped it upside down. When he lifted the bucket back up, he had an almost perfect replica of the bucket sitting up on the sand. "Tada!"

Peridot was stupefied. She approached Stevens' creation with caution, like a frightened cat. "How is that possible!?" She poked at it with a tentative hand, "Nevermind, let's just build this so called sand castle and get it over with." She drawled after, clearly not interested with the concept of sand anymore. She took a bucket for herself, preferably NOT red. So she pulled a pretty green colored bucket out of the bag. She inspected it thoroughly, checking for any imperfections. Finding none, she went to work with helping Steven with the sand castle.

While Steven and Peridot built their sand castle, the other gems were busy themselves. At the moment, Garnet and Amethyst were in the water, while yelling at Pearl. "Come on P!" Amethyst yelled, "Get your butt in the water!"

"I prefer NOT to swim in fish feces Amethyst!" Pearl was currently sitting underneath a big blue umbrella, trying to avoid the noise Amethyst was making. "You two have fun without me!"

"FINE!" Amethyst yelled exasperated. "Come on Garnet, let's do this!" She turned to the fusion, and flashed her a smile.

Garnet gave a slight head nod, and cracked her knuckles. "Alright, Amethyst."

Amethyst gave a nod herself, and then morphed into a surfboard. Garnet hopped on and they headed towards the waves.

Back to Peridot and Steven, their sand castle was almost complete. As Peridot kept reshaping the the entry way, Steven backed up to look at his project. He looked over the whole thing, making sure he didn't miss anything. He made tisking noises as he walked around the castle. Something was missing... but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"What are you doing?"

His friends voice brought him back from his reverie, he spared her a glance. "Something's missing..." He scanned the sand for a moment, trying to see if anything caught his eye. He glanced over dried up seaweed, rocks, and the occasional wandering crab. But then out of nowhere, Steven gasped.

It was perfect.

He went over to grab the object and hurriedly ran back over to his curious friend.

"What do you have there, Steven?" She tried to see what he held, but he covered it with his hands.

"You'll see..." Steven crouched down in the sand, and put the object he had in his hands on the castle. Peridot watched with interest as he removed his hands that were obscuring her view of it.

"A shell?"

"Yeah! Isn't it pretty?"

"I don't see the need for a shell on the castle Steven." How could this little shell be of use to the castle? She didn't see the point of it. It was so small and insignificant, that it didn't really change anything.

Kind of like her.

Peridot flinched at the thought, and hoped that Steven hadn't noticed it.

"Hey! It can be useful! It can, well..." Steven thought hard for a moment. "It makes things better by just BEING there, Peridot. I mean..." He motioned towards the castle, "It looked pretty dull before, but with the added shell...it's just...better!"

Peridot stared at the shell, seemingly deep in her thoughts. She had heard something like that before... but it was directed at her and not an inanimate object. You see, our little Peridot here doesn't always think so highly of herself. She was having self esteem issues even on her way to Earth. But that seemed like such a long time ago to Peridot, she couldn't quite remember who gave her the little pep talk. All she really remembered were yellow eyes.

Jasper.

Damn she missed her.

The question slipped out before she had a chance to stop it. "Steven... Where's Jasper?" She said this in a quiet whisper, with a longing look on her face.

"Peridot..." Steven squeaked out, clearly not knowing what he could tell her. The face she was giving him was torture. He had never seen her make that face before; she looked like she might even cry.

He couldn't let that happen.

"Just give me a second." Steven got up and started running towards the other gems. Leaving Peridot alone on her towel, wringing her hands nervously.

She could feel a lump start to form in her throat, it made it hard for her to swallow. She brought her knees up to her chin, and wrapped her arms around them.

Now, you're probably wondering, "Why in the world would Peridot be missing the seemingly cruelest gem in the galaxy?"

You would probably be shocked to find out that Jasper isn't always as menacing as she seemed.

She could actually be very thoughtful towards other gems. Sure, she doesn't show it very often, but there were times she would let her softer side show.

Especially towards Peridot.

On their way to Earth, they actually bonded a little bit. I mean, an escort had to know who they were escorting, right?

It started out with the commonly asked questions, "What's the plan?", "Do I get to smash anything?", "How long will this take?". But after a few days had past, Peridot had found herself in Jasper's presence more often than not. Jasper would give Peridot her full attention, and she would ask more personal questions. She was always close to Peridot, and she seemed to be enjoying Peridot's company.

And Peridot started to enjoy her presence too.

Maybe a little more than she should've.

The first hug that Jasper had given Peridot was when Peridot was having one of her bad moments. She remembered feeling so insignificant and... useless. But she also remembered the feeling of Jasper's significantly bigger arms wrapped around her small body. She expected Jasper to feel cold, and because of how big her muscles were; hard. She was surprised to find out that she was warm and soft, the exact opposite of her prediction. She also remembered her flowing white tresses. Her hair was even softer than her skin, and it smelled like earth cinnamon. From that day forward, cinnamon was the most calming scent in the world. She even dug through Steven's cabinets and was surprised when she found some. In fact, as soon as she found it she had hid it in the bathroom so no one could have it but her.

Peridot's chain of thoughts was broken by the feeling of arms wrapping around her from behind. She looked down, hoping to see the familiar orange and red, but felt disappointed when the color of the skin was a pinkish color instead.

"Peridot."

The voice had come from in front of her, and she glanced up to see Garnet towering over her. Once Garnet knew she had the green gem's attention she went down to her knees to be eye level with her. "I heard you were asking about Jasper's whereabouts."

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but was unsuccessful. So instead of trusting her voice, she slowly shook her head instead.

So Garnet told her about the battle that had taken place on the Homeworld ship. She had to explain what had happened after Peridot had escaped from the Crystal Gems clutches and headed towards the earth. She explained the battle that had almost taken place on the beach, including the fusion between Jasper and Lapis.

Malachite.

The name made shivers crawl up Peridot's spine, and she clutched her knees tighter on instinct. She also felt the arms that were around her tighten a little bit too.

She explained how Lapis had taken control of the fusion, and how she dragged it into the ocean.

Peridot felt sick to her stomach, as if the all the depressing information she received had condensed into a ball and was wreaking havoc in her insides. She had to resist regurgitating the donut Steven had made her try earlier. She didn't even know if gems _could_ throw up.

But she also didn't want to find out.

Her gaze fell to her hands that were gathering the material of her appearance modifiers in her small tight fists. She felt a few tears trickle out from underneath her visor. She hurriedly wiped them away and suppressed the urge to let more slip out.

Jasper was at the bottom of the ocean.

And Peridot couldn't do anything about it.

 **Author's Note:**

Well that was chapter two. Chapter three might take me longer to finish because of school, and tests….yep. I had chapter one and two written out even before I wrote "Just a Big Teddy Bear". It might be a couple days or so before I update again… But in the mean time I hope you guys and gals have a wonderful day:) Thanks for the reviews and favorites! I hope I hear more from you guys!


	3. Tug

**Author's Note:**

To the guest known as Dana-

Thank you so much! I wish I could message you directly to thank you for you reviews! But sadly, I cannot…

BUT! I just want all of the people who have posted a review and had added this story to their favorites and followed it, to know that you guys are the best!

I updated this earlier than I was going to for Dana- as a thank you present, so enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:**

I obviously don't own Steven Universe :P

 **Sad Song**

 **Chapter Three: Tug**

Warmth. That's what surrounded Peridot, along with a pair of thin arms. She was perched in a lap that belonged to a Crystal Gem, but at the moment she couldn't quite tell which one held her protectively in their arms. Peridot shifted her body to shield herself from the outside world more. Her head tucked under a chin, but not uncomfortably. Her hands were clenched into tiny fists that snagged on a pale blue shirt.

"How's she doing Pearl?"

The arms around her body shifted; one hand moved to the nape of her neck and the other planted firmly on the small of her back. "I don't know, Steven..."

The movement caused Peridot to give off a faint whimper, and she seemed to bury herself deeper into Pearl's chest. She wasn't crying anymore thankfully, but still, a few rebellious tears made trails down her face silently. Pearl didn't seem to mind that her shirt was getting wet with tears as Peridot moved closer.

"Oh Peridot..." Pearl soothed. She had never seen Peridot act this way; so upset that she couldn't even speak. It had been over a month since Peridot had admitted that she missed Jasper. But now that she knew the truth of her whereabouts... it seemed she would have had been better off not knowing. Pearl felt as if by telling Peridot the truth, that she sealed Jasper's fate; that the weeping gem wouldn't see Jasper _ever_ again. She ran a petite hand through Peridot's hair, in an attempt to quell Peridot's sorrow.

Garnet stood by Pearl, her concealed eyes full of grief for the small gem in Pearl's arms. "I'm sorry Peridot." She watched Peridot pull her face away from Pearl so she could look at Garnet. Her flushed cheeks and a lone eye was all Garnet could make up of her face. Peridot attempted to voice her thoughts, but was clearly having trouble with doing so.

"I-" Was all she could get out before her voice broke again and she buried her face back into Pearl's chest. She couldn't let them see her so broken; she hated showing weakness. But even she couldn't halt the hiccups that had erupted from her throat.

"I don't know what we could do for her-" Pearl spoke, "I-I just don't know..."

Steven watched the scene that unfolded before him, but he couldn't think of what to do. So he had to watch his surrogate sister mourn for her lost friend helplessly.

But not for long, so it seemed.

"Peridot… Would you like to finish the sand castle?" A distraction, that's what Peridot needed; something that could take her mind off of Jasper. "You could help me look for more shells!" He put in enthusiastically, "Come on! I can't run this castle right without a queen by my side!"

That had gotten Peridot's attention, "Queen?" Her voice sounded strained, but Steven could tell that his plan had worked. Peridot began to lift herself from the pale gems lap, but stopped herself and turned to face Pearl instead. With her eyes still glossy from the tears she voiced a quiet, "Thank you."

Pearl observed Peridot with a careful eye, "Are you sure you're okay?" She rubbed her hands up and down Peridot's small shoulders and locked eyes with her. "I don't want you to do something you don't want to do…" She sighed, "If you need to go back to the beach house, we can go. It's not a problem, Peridot."

Garnet, who sat in the sand close to the pair, ruffled Peridot's pointy hair. "You're part of the Crystal Gems, Peridot. And rule number one is everyone has to be happy." Garnet had a small smile on her face, but she spoke in a very serious voice.

"That's a cruddy rule."

"That's the Peridot I know!" Garnet stood.

"You know more than one?" Peridot deadpanned, she lifted an eyebrow. "Which Facet was she from?"

"It's just a saying Peridot."

"Okay…?"

"Just get going you two!" Pearl stood alongside Garnet as she dusted the sand off of herself. "I want to see that sand castle when it's all finished!" She ushered the young gems towards the rocks that they had built the castle by, "I would hurry before it gets dark, you two. There's not much daylight left and that castle might not be there tomorrow morning to finish." She warned.

"Then we have to hurry, Peridot!" Steven started to run for the castle.

Trying to reassure the gems that she was alright, Peridot hollered, "Wait up, you clod!"

And with that, she gracelessly tripped on that wandering crab that Steven had seen earlier and got a face full of sand.

 **Author's Note:**

I don't know about you guys, but this chapter really " _Tugged_ " on my heart strings!

Get it?!

I know, I'm horrible.

I spend WAY too much time with my boyfriend, blame the pun on him and the fact that I haven't posted in a couple of days.

PS:

There will be no Stevidot in this story, when Steven called Peri "queen" it was meant in a friendship kind of way.


	4. Shell Drive

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Steven Universe

 **Sad Song**

 **Chapter Four: Shell Drive**

The young boy and the green gem sat back in their previous spots on the ground next to the sand castle. Peridot was quiet, staring at her hands while they toyed around with her beloved tape recorder.

"So is Jasper like your mom?" Steven casually asked as he scooped some sand and applied it to different areas of the castle. Peridot sat opposite of him, still fiddling with her tape recorder. The boy noticed how her mouth subtly twitched into a frown and how her grip tightened on her recorder a touch.

" _What_?" The topic of Jasper was still a touchy one, and she thought Steven would know that. But what he said had confused her, and the confusion smothered the sadness for the moment. "What is _mom_?"

"You know...mom…" He shrugged.

"That doesn't clarify anything Steven." Was the deadpan response he received from the irritated gem.

Steven rubbed the back of his neck, searching for the right words. "A-a mom could be described in different ways… The other reasons wouldn't relate to you, so… A mom is a person who takes care of you," Steven looked up at Peridot, "Someone who makes you feel better when you're sad and stuff like that."

"Ohh…I don't know." She looked away from Steven, uncomfortable with the intense stare he gave her.

"Okay," Steven still wanted some information and decided to see how much Peridot would tell him without getting upset. "Could you at least tell me why you get so upset? About missing Jasper, I mean..."

"I just-" Peridot started getting frustrated with Steven's prodding, and had to control her anger. "Miss her." She let out a sigh, "Just drop it Steven."

"Okay." Steven decided that poking and prodding the little gem was probably not the best idea. "Sorry Peridot."

"Humph." She then placed her recorder on the ground, and went to stand up. "We're running out of these _shells_ , I will acquire more for us." She pointed in the direction of the rocks, "We haven't ventured over there yet. There should be shells on the other side."

"Oh yeah!" Steven hurriedly stood as well, "I'll search this way," He pointed to the opposite direction, and ran off.

"That is… not what I meant…"

But Steven was already long gone.

She watched as Steven scurried across the sand, towards the direction of the Crystal Gems. Steven paused in his search for shells as he went to talk to Pearl. Peridot felt an ache in her chest when she saw them laughing happily; must've been a joke that Steven had told. She knew they wouldn't have been laughing about her; Steven wasn't like that. But the pain her chest still wouldn't subside. It wasn't the thought of someone laughing at her-

It was the thought she didn't have someone to laugh with. To have someone to joke with her and to just be happy.

Her breath caught in her throat when Pearl had bent down to give Steven a loving hug and a kiss to the forehead. She quickly looked away when Steven went off again in search of more shells. Opting to look at the dark ocean water instead.

"Tch." She frowned before turning around and started off to the direction of the rocks that blocked the other half of the beach from view. Her small feet left little indents in the sand as she made her way to the tall structures. The ever present leash trailing behind her. "I said _we_ , as in together." She wrapped her arms around herself as a shiver crept up her back. "Pft, I'm better without any of you clods anyway." She heaved a sigh as she let the familiar feeling of loneliness consume her small form.

She walked slowly, not as eager to get more shells as she was before. Her thoughts traveled to the sea along with her eyes. The dark water looked foreboding as it slapped the sand along the long stretch of beach. The power that it had scared her, shook her very core. She walked closer to the grass, avoiding the water at all cost. Amethyst wasn't wrong when she accused Peridot of being scared of the ocean, especially after learning what it did to Jasper. If a gem with as much power and strength as her was outmatched to the dark abyss, what chance did she have?

Sure, a gem didn't need to breath, but the thought of being consumed in water still installed fear in her.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she was met by the rocky face of the stone-like wall that blocked the other side of the beach. Bringing her hand up to touch the smooth surface something had crossed her mind.

The wall was least two of her put together in height.

"Fantastic."

The wall seemed to mock her, "Stupid brick clod." Looking for a small ledge to get a grip on she spotted one towards the end of the rocks.

Right by the water.

She gave off a slight whimper, _why me?_

 **Author's Note:**

Sorry for the short chapter; the reason only has two words and I think you can all relate to this.

 _School. Sucks_.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Not much happened in this chapter, but the next one will have a lot more in it.


	5. Mending Bonds and Breaking Thoughts

**Author's note:**

Sorry for not updating sooner, i had a bunch of tests this week and didn't have any time for anything but studying. I will not under any circumstance leave this story unfinished. Well, let's get to chapter 5:)

(PS: please read the author's note at the end of the chapter!)

 **Disclaimer:**

I don't on Steven Universe

 **Sad Song**

 **Chapter Five: Mended Bonds and Broken Thoughts**

Jasper knew that her physical form would take a while to heal because the fusion Malachite had done a number on her body.

But this was just flat out ridiculous.

She could barely even move, her body still ached with pain and stress. During the early afternoon, the waves had crawled up on the shore and soaked her to the bone once again. "Are you kidding me?!" Jasper had complained angrily. Seriously, do you know how long it takes to dry her hair? She was surprised (and a bit disappointed) that her hot headed temper hadn't just made the water evaporate, that would've made the process of drying it way faster. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.

"That Lazuli's gonna pay for this."

She hadn't moved at all from her spot all night and morning, her body leaving an indent in the sand. She had to make sure she covered it back up with the displaced sand before she left the area, didn't want to give the gems a hint that she was freed now would she?

* * *

The sun was out, shining its brilliant light onto her cold body. It felt good to be on the surface again, there was light, sunshine, and air out here. It seemed the only thing the ocean was good for was for bringing darkness. Jasper needed the open space, she would go nuts without it. But sitting in the sun had done damage to her body too, giving her skin a red tinge and a painful ache. "Gotta get outta this sun…"

She tried to bring her heavy hand through her hair, but was stopped by tangles upon tangles that had formed in her once beautiful blonde locks. "Great." She gave up with her hair, and brought her hand down her face instead. The muscles below the skin contracting under her orange palm. Was it normal for a gem to feel empty when they parted from a fusion? Or was it just her? She had no idea, having never used that tactic before in her life.

 _Fusion is just a cheap tactic to make weak gems stronger!_

"I'm weak." It sure felt that way to Jasper. Fusing with the Lazuli to make herself superior. She even said herself that only weak gems used it to make themselves strong, instead of training and pushing themselves harder to earn that strength. Now she just felt dirty, and looked the part too. She could revert back into her gem, but there was still the fear of getting captured when she was unaware of her surroundings. Fear. The great and powerful Jasper felt _fear_. She was stuck on an unfamiliar planet, with unfamiliar gems. Another emotion she felt for once in her life was guilt. For what you ask?

She was laying here and complaining while Peridot was probably scared to death.

She knew Peridot was a young gem, why she was given a mission at such a young age, she'll never know. But Jasper did know that Peridot was by herself, all alone. That thought made the guilt intensify, and worry bloomed in her chest. Not worry for herself because she had failed her job as an escort and would have to report back to Yellow Diamond. No, it was because she had left little Peridot all alone. She let the vision of finally catching Rose Quartz block what was really important to her.

She would find Peridot, no matter what. "Screw the Diamond authority." Jasper said with a sneer, "Peridot is first priority now." Filled with determination, Jasper attempted the impossible.

Jasper slowly brought her body into a sitting position, an adrenaline rush fueling her actions. She gnashed her teeth together, and brought her lips up to a smirk. "I need to get away from this cursed sand first, find a cave and then go into my gem." She nodded her head, agreeing with her own plan, "Don't know when I'll need to fight off those Crystal Idiots." She gave off a groan, the small adrenaline rush quickly wearing off, "Hopefully not anytime soon…"

The sand didn't offer much stability, but Jasper did manage to get to her feet. She slowly made it over to the rocky area where she soon spotted a small opening. She made it about five more feet before colliding into the ground, nearly hitting the rocky wall next to her face. "That woulda been painful." She gave an airy chuckle.

The sand was cooler over here, the sun being unable to reach the rocky area. It felt nice against her burnt skin, as well as soothing to her scratches and bruises that made a pattern along her skin. She tried to bring her body back up again, but with no such luck. "I guess I'm staying here for a while." Moving her arms to bring under her chin, she made herself as comfortable as the sand would allow her.

She closed her golden irises, and evened out her breathing. Gems back on Homeworld weren't allowed to sleep, they always had a job that required their full attention and all of their time. But Jasper wasn't on Homeworld now, and she just didn't care. She started falling in the darkness of her subconscious when something landed on her back. Something small and light.

Jasper jumped in surprise upon impact and threw what had landed on her away from her body. It made contact with the rock wall, and fell back to the ground.

Jasper was in a tight ball, with her eyes closed and her hands over her head. She was in no condition to fight, her body still weak. Couldn't she ever catch a break? She didn't care if she had injured the object she threw, it was a threat, and that's all she needed to know. The other thing she knew is that if she had a heart it would've stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

"Ow!"

* * *

Peridot had climbed up and over the rock wall, feeling accomplished and powerful. But that was all lost when she had misplaced her foot on the wall, losing her grip and falling to the ground. She was surprised when she landed on something other than sand, she had landed on someone! Imagine her amazement when she saw a familiar color, saw a familiar head of hair, felt a familiar pair of hands grab her! Wait a minute… Why was she being grabbed?

The next thing Peridot knew, she was being flung through the air at a high speed and flattened against the wall a moment later. Her skull connected with the rocky surface, a sickening crack vibrated through the air. Making Peridot grab for her head with her small hands as she slid back to the ground. Her face drew in a wince and tears fell down her face in little streams. A whimper left her throat as her hand went to the back of her head. "Ow ow ow ow…" Were the only words that would escape her mouth until her cries were muffled by a suit similar to her own, but in a shade of red instead of her green.

"Peridot! Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Jasper picked the drastically smaller gem up to her chest, she rocked her slowly in her arms. "Come on Greenie, you're alright…" How was she supposed to know that the thing that had landed on her would be Peridot? Her Peridot…

Jasper brought her head down to Peridot's, trying to get as close to the small gem as possible. "I found you…" Her voice not the gruff it normally was, but instead it had been laced with happiness and sorrow. Happiness because she was finally reunited with the green gem and sorrow because she had just injured the gem she had sworn to protect. It felt as if Jasper was the one thrown into the wall, feeling absolutely terrible for hurting Peridot. It felt as if a knife had been lodged into her throat, on the verge of tears herself.

"Where were you?" She croaked, "I missed you." Jasper voiced over Peridot's whimpers, she still clutched her head.

"It hurts!" Peridot cried, she snuggled her head into Jasper, seeking more comfort. She finally found some when Jasper placed a small kiss to her green gem. She had never done that before… But that didn't mean Peridot didn't like it. Peridot mewled into Jasper's chest, while Jasper continued to stroke her gem with her thumb.

"I'm so sorry Peridot…"

* * *

"Why in the stars were you on those rocks anyway?" Jasper questioned.

Peridot was now sitting across from Jasper, crossed legged. The pain in the back of her head subsided for the moment. It was as if Jasper had acquired healing kisses while she was stuck at the bottom of the ocean. The kiss to her gem had felt chilling yet comforting, a shiver had crawled from the base of her spine to her head where the pain was resonating from. Making the pain nearly disappear with the pleasant contact and comfort. "I was getting shells…"

An understanding look crossed Jasper's pleasant face until she let out a flat, " _What_?"

"I'll explain later Jasper."

"Whatever you say Greenie"

Peridot took in Jasper's form, nearly crying again at the sight laid out before her. Her hair was practically covered with tangles and it looked like she probably had some seaweed in that mess of hair too. She had dull eyes, and was her skin redder than it normally was?

"Jasper what happened to you?"

"I was marooned on the beach and cooked in the sun like a fish."

"What's a fish?"

"Let's just say you get real acquainted with them at the bottom of the ocean."

Jasper was greeted with silence, with Peridot clearly not knowing what to say to Jasper's sarcasm. At least she was starting to act like herself again, quick and sarcastic.

The quiet was interrupted as a yell was thrown into the air that seemed to cover the entire beach.

"PERIDOT!"

It was Steven, she could hear yelling from the other side of the rocks. A wave of panic washed over her as Jasper gave her a confused look.

"What was that?"

Quickly coming up with an excuse was definitely not her forte. So, in being the honest gem that she was, she decided to tell the truth like Steven had told her. "Um…. Jasper…I may have sorta…kinda… formed an alliance with the Crystal Gems…"

"You did WHAT!?"

Peridot quickly moved up towards Jasper's mouth and firmly planted her hands over it. "Jasper! Keep quiet, please!" Peridot gave her the look that Steven had taught her, the infamous 'puppy dog look'.

Jasper gently removed Peridot's hands from her face, one of her hands easily covering both of hers. "What are you doin'?" She gave a quiet chuckle.

"The Steven taught me this. This particular look is supposed to even make the most powerful beings fall. He calls it the 'puppy dog look'."

"I don't know what this 'puppy dog' is, but whatever you're doing isn't working."

"PERIDOT!" This time it sounded closer, more urgent.

"Jasper, just listen to me!" She took her hands out of Jasper's gentle grip and put them on the larger gem's cheeks, making her face become all smooshed up. "I need you to change your physical form into a small earth creature so I could put you in my pocket so they can't see you!" Her voice was a hushed whisper, but that didn't mean it didn't sound any less urgent. "Please!"

Jasper weighed her options, and she didn't have many.

"I don't know Dot…" She brought her hand to the back of her neck and rubbed it in thought.

"Please Jasper!" Peridot pleaded, aware that she was running out of time.

"I don't know what use you would get out of me now… I couldn't even protect you when it was my job…" Jasper shamefully looked away from Peridot, knowing that the little gem had her full attention on Jasper. They both just sat there in silence, letting the words sink in. And once Peridot was aware of what her caretaker was saying, she knew she was wrong. Jasper wouldn't let anything happen to her, she was her guardian, her protector, her… best friend. The little green gem had to let her know that.

"You're wrong!" Peridot's outburst had caught Jasper's attention, and once she had it, Peridot finished her little speech. "You did! But now it's just my turn to protect you!"

"PERIDOT WHERE ARE YOU!?" Steven's voice was really close now, any minute he could be making his way around the wall.

"I don't think I have the strength to change my form, Peridot. I would have to revert back into my gem." Jasper lovingly ruffled Peridot's pointy hair, "And I trust you, so get ready."

With a quick nod and a parting wave, Jasper reverted back into her gem. Gravity took hold and before Peridot knew what was happening, it started to fall.

"No!" Taking a dive in the sand, Peridot caught Jasper's gem with both hands. With a sigh of relief and a relaxed smile on her face, Peridot carefully took the gem and placed it into the pocket of her pants. She gave it a quick pat before yelling, "STEVEN! I'M OVER HERE!"

Before she knew it, Steven walked around the rocks. The rocks themselves ended in the shallow water, but Peridot didn't want to go anywhere near there. So when Steven rounded the corner, he gave a sigh of relief when he saw the gem he had been looking for.

"Peridot! I've been yelling your name for the past five minutes, where were you!?" He sounded angry, it made Peridot shrink back a little.

"I don't like the water," She said in a shaky voice, "I couldn't climb back up the rock formations, and I didn't want to go into that DEATH LIQUID!" She angrily pointed at the ocean, "I have been trying to find a way out but I couldn't!" Not all of it was a lie, but that didn't help the fact that she still broke one of Steven's rules. _I'll apologize later._

Noticing Peridot's anxiety, Steven decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. The gem's may not trust her much, but that didn't mean Steven didn't. "Well the gem's and I were worried. It's getting dark, so next time if you need help just yell, okay?"

Peridot gave a nod of understanding, and felt Steven's eyes on her. "What?"

"I thought you said you were grabbing shells?" He looked her over again, clearly trying to see if she had anything on her. He noticed a slight lump in her front pants pocket, but he decided not to question it.

"I couldn't find any…"

"That's a bummer, I only found one more." Steven's gaze went to Peridot's pocket again.

"Then I guess we will just have to finish our sandcastle later then."

Steven gave a nod, a smile graced his face as he silently agreed with his friend. But his smile faltered a little when he noticed what looked to be a big indent in the sand. "Hey, what's- "

"Steven I think I hear the other gem's calling for us!" Peridot knew what Steven was looking at, and she had to get his attention on her instead. She couldn't let him find out about Jasper, Steven's loyalty to the Crystal Gem's was something that could not be messed with. And she didn't know what the gems would do to Jasper if they found her. They had described the fusion Malachite as a wild uncontrollable beast- they probably thought Jasper was the same way. She had to make sure that none of the gems found out about Jasper. "I don't know how I'll get across the water though Steven…"

Steven clearly didn't know Peridot had diverted his attention on purpose. So with his attention on Peridot once again, Steven grabbed Peridot's hand in a gentle hold, "Here, I'll help you across the water."

* * *

After a dramatizing piggy-back ride, Peridot made it around the rocks going through the water. Was it possible for gems to have a panic attack? If it wasn't, Peridot sure made it seem possible.

"Peridot, it wasn't that bad." Steven chastised the young gem. "I even _carried_ you! You didn't even _touch_ the water!" He waved his arms in the air in a dramatic attempt to get his point across.

"I was still over it! I could've drowned!"

"Gems can't drown!"

"I also heard that gems couldn't have panic attacks neither! Well look at me now!" Sarcasm clearly evident in her tone.

"That's beside the point Peridot!"

"Well I-!"

"Peridot." Garnet's voice had cut her off, "You're fine, Steven helped you. You should be thanking him."

Knowing that the fusion was right, Peridot let out a small and irritated, "Wow, thanks."

* * *

All of the gems made it back to the beach house in one piece. Each gem went their separate ways; Garnet and Pearl went to their separate rooms, while Steven and Amethyst went into the kitchen. Peridot stood by the front door, and took a deep breath.

"Well, I am going to retire for the night…" Peridot awkwardly rubbed her upper arm, making it evident she was uncomfortable. But she spoke in a rushed tone, clearly wanting to be somewhere else. The other two gems in the room didn't seem to notice though.

"G'night nerd."

"Goodnight Peridot!"

After getting the reactions she had wanted, Peridot quickly made her way to her 'think chamber'. Once the door was shut behind her, she scurried to her corner between the wall and the porcelain bathtub. While she sunk to the floor, she wrapped herself up with her makeshift curtain-blanket and settled into a comfortable position. But before she was too comfortable she reached her arms into the bathtub.

Hiding in the bathtub was her Jasper teddy bear, sitting and idly waiting for her to grab it. She grabbed ahold of its right arm and tugged it out of the tub. With the bear in her lap and the blanket wrapped snugly around her, she was finally comfortable. She relaxed her body against the tub when she felt something jab into her right leg. Remembering Jasper's gem, she slid her hand into her pocket and pulled out the shiny orange gem. Could Jasper hear her from in there? Could she feel what was happening on the outside world? With the thought in mind that she could, Peridot took an extra towel from under the sink and made a pile on the tile floor. She placed Jasper's gem in the little nest that she had made, hoping that the hulking gem was comfortable.

It was her turn to become the escort now, and she wasn't going to let Jasper out of her sight.

 **Author's Note:**

Well, there's chapter 5 for ya! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! If I don't have a lot of school work this week, expect another chapter during the upcoming week! And thank you sll so much for following and faving, or just flat out reading my story!

Hey, I'm going to need help writing the next few chapters. So if you guys have any good ideas of interactions between Jasper and Peridot, let me know! They could be cute or they could be sad, either or is fine! I just like the mix of ideas so mine don't get too repetitive. Remember anything will help! And I will also make sure I give credit to the people who came up with the ideas! Thanks guy's and gal's, and have a nice day!


	6. Pancakes and Shrouded Secrets

**Author's Note:**

Hi guys:) I just want to let the people who gave me ideas that I really appreciate them! I do plan on using them, but it will have to fit into my story. So you may not see them right away, but they will not go to waste! I am still open to new ideas if you want to tell me them in the comments! The sky's the limit!

I really need help with funny moments, so if you can think of anything please let me know!

 **Disclaimer:**

I don't own Steven Universe

 **Sad Song**

 **Chapter Six: Pancakes and Shrouded Secrets**

The sun was shining brilliantly down onto the small town known as Beach City. The seagulls flew high, occasionally descending onto the ground to finish the remains of a lone hot dog. The waves washed pretty shells up from the bottom of the ocean and onto the beach, making the beach sparkle when the sun's rays hit the shells. There was not a single cloud in the bright blue sky, letting the residents know that this day was going to be perfect.

All was well in Beach City; everyone was happily going about their day with a smile on their face. And I know what you're thinking, no, Lars is _not_ part of that happy crowd. He and Sadie sat behind the counter of The Big Donut, waiting for the morning rush to arrive. Sadie; with a smile, and Lars… Well, we all know how he is.

Anyhow, the day was perfect for anything and everything.

The clock in the beach house read 9:20 am and not a single soul was up and about in the beach house on this fabulous morning. Well, everyone except for Peridot who still sat in the bathroom. She had been watching and waiting for her caretaker to regenerate, _all night._ The little gem hadn't even moved from her designated spot on the tile floor, bundled up in her blanket. The bear still clung tight in her green arms, it too never left it's spot on her lap.

She continued to stare at the ever present orange gem that sat on the towel she had gotten out for it hours prior. Peridot waited for that flicker of light from Jasper's gem to light up the room throughout the night, but it never did.

She had never felt so disappointed in her short existence.

With tentative hands, she picked the gem out of the nest and held it in her shaking hands. Bringing the orange tinted gem to her chest, she held it there lovingly.

"Come back…"

No one answered her, not even the seagulls from outside.

Again, another disappointment.

Peridot heaved a sigh and nestled the gem back into the towels where she hoped Jasper was comfortable in. Peridot herself couldn't believe Jasper had come back, let alone come with her to the Crystal Gems. She hadn't planned on falling onto Jasper when she crawled up those rocks. She hadn't even _wanted_ to find shells anymore.

But she was really glad she went to look for some anyway.

"Peridot!" Steven knocked on the bathroom door, "Wakey wakey! Time for breakfast!"

Oh no… he wasn't going to make her _eat_ again, was he?

An involuntary shiver ran down her spine as she let out a shaky breath. She could barely handle the donut he had given her yesterday, almost wanting to just throw it behind a rock when he wasn't looking. But Peridot wasn't like that, and she didn't think she ever would be. So she had eaten the donut, regretfully mind you, and said her thanks as her face turned even greener than her normal skin tone.

She never was a fan of eating, and she planned on keeping it that way.

"Come on Peridot!" Steven practically sang.

"Alright! I'm coming, you clod!" Peridot stood up from her corner and started for the door, but then stopped. She quickly moved back to the towels that contained Jasper's gem and carefully slid them under her blanket and then set her bear on top of it. _There! No one will suspect a thing._ She stared down at the covered gem and whispered, "I'll return later Jasper."

With a parting wave, Peridot ran back to the door and opened it to find Steven patiently waiting for her on the other side.

"Why did you wait for me?"

"I wasn't gonna eat breakfast without you!"

"Oh, great…" She took her hand off of the doorknob and motioned for Steven to move aside. "Let's get this over with." Peridot followed Steven to the counter, and sat in one of the chairs as she waited for Steven.

"Hey, what's this?" Steven grabbed the letter from off of the countertop and read it aloud for Peridot's benefit. "Good morning Steven! We had to leave earlier this morning for a special mission. I made you breakfast, it's in the fridge on the middle shelf. It's the one with tinfoil over the top. Be back soon- Pearl." Steven looked up at Peridot, "Huh." He then placed the short note back onto the counter and skipped over to the fridge.

Peridot watched him from over the counter as he opened the fridge door and pulled out the plate of tinfoil that the letter had talked about. He then placed the plate on the counter and dramatically pulled off the tinfoil. "Pancakes! Yes!"

"Those do _not_ look appetizing at all, Steven."

The perfectly golden pancakes sat on the plate in a neat pile, waiting to be eaten. At Peridot's remark, Steven placed his hands over the pancakes makeshift ears. "Shhh, she didn't mean it."

"Have all of you earth creatures gone crazy?"

"No! What do you mean?"

"You're talking to an inanimate object," she motioned towards the pancakes, "I believe that classifies as insanity."

"I was just joking around Peridot."

"Well, I have read a joke book. And I can clarify that your 'joke' wasn't very funny." Throughout the whole conversation, Peridot kept giving Steven a deadpan look. It was like she wasn't impressed at all by Steven's antics. "So I suggest you stop them."

"Whatever you say Peridot." Steven sat down on one of the kitchen counter stools, seated to the right of Peridot. "You know, I'm still gonna make you try it."

"Pft, you can't make me do anything. You may be a quartz, but we're on Earth." She turned her head away from Steven, "Homeworld's rules don't apply here." She motioned her arms around her, gesturing to their surroundings. She then turned her head back to Steven and looked him dead in the eye. "Welcome to Earth."

"Come on!"

"I don't want to!"

"Just a bite Peridot!"

"I'm not shoving your earth _trash_ down my throat again!" Peridot yelled accidently. She covered her mouth with shaky hands, her eyes wide. "I-i didn't-"

"If you didn't like it you didn't have to eat it."

Peridot sat in her chair, twiddling her thumbs embarrassingly. "My yelling was unnecessary," She looked up at Steven, "My apologies."

"It's okay," He threw a smile her way, "I shouldn't have made you eat. Not everyone is like Amethyst-" He stabbed at his pancakes, "She eats everything!" He laughed as he shoveled some pancake into his mouth.

"I highly doubt she eats _everything_ , Steven."

"Remember that donut you ate yesterday?"

Peridot shuddered, "Yeah, but what's that have to do with anything?"

"I offered Amethyst one."

"So?"

"Instead of eating the donut, she ate the bag."

"Oh…" Peridot winced, "I guess you're right."

"She also ate the napkins."

"I get it Steven."

Peridot watched Steven as he devoured the last of his pancakes, a frown lining her features. "I don't know how you humans can ingest all of that-" She decided against using the word garbage, not wanting to hurt Steven's feelings. " _Stuff_. It seems so… Primitive. Having to rely on something you consume for an energy source instead evolving and creating your own." Peridot repositioned herself in her seat, "You earth creatures are strange."

Steven licked his fingers and then brought his plate to the sink, "It's just how humans are, Peridot." He looked over his shoulder at her, "If you want to know more, you'll have to ask Garnet, or my dad."

"I might have to do that at some point. Just… Not now." Peridot jumped off of the stool and walked over to Steven and silently observed him for a few moments. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm just washing my plate." Steven continued scrubbing.

"Hm."

As Steven washed his plate, something was bothering him. And since he and Peridot were by themselves he deemed it a good time to ask. "Peridot, what was in your pocket yesterday?"

Taken completely by surprise, Peridot stumbled back. "What?" But she knew exactly what he was talking about. She just hoped he hadn't noticed the gem in her pocket. Time to play dumb, "What do you mean?"

"You had something in your pocket yesterday," He stopped and looked towards Peridot's front pocket, "And you don't have it in your pocket now… So what was it? Was it a shell? A rock?" He rambled on.

Poor Peridot's brain was working on overdrive to try and come up with an excuse. She scrambled with her words, trying to stutter out a believable tale. "It, it was a… Rock. Yeah! A rock… And I kept it because I thought it was really pretty." Well, _that_ wasn't a lie, she did find Jasper rather pretty.

Steven's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, "Well, can I see it? Can I hold it? Please oh please!?"

"No!"

A pause.

"What? Why not?"

Again with the lies, Peridot felt horrible. She tried to spin another tale, "I can't show it to you because…. Because." She struggled. And then she had an epiphany, "It loses its luck! On Homeworld a stone loses its luck when another being touches it." She rushed out, her breathing ragged.

"I won't touch it, I promise!"

"Umm… No."

"Why?"

Could this boy just stop with the questions!? Peridot's pond of excuses was drying up, and she was going to end up like a fish out of water if this conversation kept going. "I just don't want you to see it, okay? So-" Peridot thought for the right word to use that the fusion had told her, " _Please."_ Yeah, that was the right word. In her mind Peridot gave herself a pat on the back. "Don't observe it without my permission."

* * *

Steven was still washing his plate in the kitchen sink, trying to get a stubborn piece of pancake off of it. Peridot was still watching him wash his dish, the little gem somehow fascinated with it. The sound of the water was soothing to her, hypnotizing almost. It made her get lost in her thoughts, the outside world practically invisible. Her thoughts drifted back to the gem waiting for her in the bathroom, the gem that still hadn't regenerated yet.

She hoped that the gems wouldn't hurt her when they found out about her, she couldn't keep her a secret forever. Jasper was a big gem, and she wouldn't want to be confined to that small bathroom forever either. Peridot was a smart gem, and she knew that at some point in time the other gems were going to find out about her eventually. She just hoped it wasn't anytime soon.

None of the gems knew Jasper like she did, they hadn't known her for all their lives. But then again, Peridot didn't either. But she did know her better than they did, even if it wasn't for thousands of years. The hulking but beautiful gem was strong but gentle, could be rude at times but was a fair gem, and she didn't show mercy on the battlefield but did offer a hug when you needed one. Her traits contradicted each other, which often caused problems for the people who interacted with her. But for Peridot…

It just made her seem more perfected than anything in the universe.

She couldn't even bear the thought of not having Jasper there with her, it would hurt too much. She hadn't even thought about it for a second and it had already gave her a nervous twitch.

The twiddling of her thumbs caught Stevens attention, she was thinking deeply again. She had been doing that a lot this morning and Steven had been wondering just what she was thinking about.

"Peridot."

"Hmm?" Peridot was broken from her thoughts and looked up with a jump when Steven had called her name. "What is it?"

"You've been acting strange lately…"

"Strange? How so?" Oh no, she hoped she hadn't been caught. Not this early. She thought she had been playing it _cool_ about finding Jasper and not telling anyone. Steven had stopped washing his dish and turned to Peridot as he dried it. Peridot's breathing got a little heavier when Steven made direct eye contact with her. Thinking her secret was exposed and Jasper along with herself would be smashed to pieces. If Steven knew, he would tell the Crystal Gems.

Once that happens, it'll all be over for her life on Earth.

"Ever since this morning, you've… Just been different. And I can't put my finger on what exactly has changed, but something definitely has." Steven looked her in the eyes, "What's up?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Peridot practically shouted, even though Steven was only a foot away from her.

That drew an eyebrow raise out of Steven, skeptical about his friend's actions. But he trusted her, and if she said nothing was wrong, then nothing was wrong. So he reluctantly dropped the subject and went back to drying his plate. But even though Peridot had told him that nothing was wrong didn't mean that Steven didn't feel any less suspicious about her. And Steven even had a feeling that…

His friend was lying.

 **Author's Note:**

DUN DUN DUN!

That is all that needs to be said;)

See ya next chapter!


	7. Slam

**Author's Note:**

Sorry this chapter's a little on the short side, but nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it anyway!

 **Disclaimer:**

I don't own Steven Universe

 **Sad Song**

 **Chapter Seven: Slam**

"The gems still aren't back yet?" Oddly enough, that question had come from Peridot. She and Steven sat on the soft plush of his bed, with Peridot taking up almost all of the room. She was sprawled out completely, and Steven had no idea how someone so small could take up so much space.

"No, they're not Peridot."

"Then when will they be back?"

"The note didn't say anything about what time they would be back."

Peridot groaned into her hands, and it echoed throughout the empty beach house. Now, you're probably wondering why our little Peridot would want the other gems back in the same vicinity as her. The overly simple answer is that Peridot needed Steven busy so she could get back to monitoring Jasper in her gem form. She didn't want the orange and red gem by herself when she reformed, all alone in the dark of the bathroom.

"This is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever witnessed in my short existence." Peridot complained while pointing to the TV screen, "I thought human food was meant for consumption, not _this_. Whatever _that_ is."

"It's just a cartoon Peridot, and it's called Crying Breakfast Friends."

Peridot stared at the screen for a few seconds more until an image of a crying milk carton appeared on the screen. "I have a feeling that would have been me if you would've made me eat those pancakes this morning." The animated carton of milk went from crying to hysterically crying in the matter of a seconds on the screen, "But with less intensity."

"And you said _my_ jokes were bad."

"Hey! I'm new to this planet, what's your justification?!"

"I… Don't know what that means…"

"Never mind then." Peridot sat up on the bed, her green eyes looking anywhere besides the terrible cartoon on the screen. "Steven this is boring; could we do something else?" Peridot thought _anything_ would be more entertaining than the abomination on Steven's primitive image cube. The thought of food appalled her, she didn't want to have to watch a show about it too.

Was he _trying_ to make her insane?!

The boy on the bed simply ignored her though, he acted as if he hadn't even heard her at all. Peridot poked him multiple times in the arm to try to gain his attention, but with no luck. The little gem was getting annoyed, and she didn't know how much longer she could go with the boy ignoring her. After poking him 20 more times in the arm, (and yes, she counted), she was finally fed up with the boy.

Peridot moved off of the bed and stood in front of the horrendous TV, her small form not doing much to block Steven's view of it. "Steven!" She practically whined.

"What Peridot?" Steven questioned, "And could you move over a bit? You're kinda blocking the TV."

"That's the point!" She waved her shorts arms, "Quit focusing on the cartoon! It's literally turning my brain into mush… I can't imagine what it's doing to you…"

"Hey!"

"What? I was just being honest."

"Peridot, what do you want?"

"For the hundredth time, you clod!" A bright green blush dusted her cheeks from her growing anger, "I want to do something else!" As she said this, Peridot collapsed to the floor. The little gem fell to her knees with crossed arms, a scowl on her face. She looked away from Steven, too angry to even want to look at him. What was this human's problem? Was his hearing abilities malfunctioning? Peridot gave off an angry growl. This boy was really starting to irritate her.

"Peridot."

"What!?" She snapped, her gaze still looking away from Steven.

"Is that how we get what we want?"

That was the moment Peridot moved her eyes to the boy sitting on the foot of the bed. "What?" She was still annoyed, but some of it was snuffed out by confusion.

"You know what I mean Peridot." Steven said nothing else.

She sat and pondered, her gaze leaving the boy on the bed. Was it the way she was seated on the floor? No, that couldn't be it. She had sat on the floor multiple times and was never scolded for it. Her brain went one way to another, and she could still not figure out what Steven was talking about. And inevitably, she started to not care at all about what she was doing wrong. "I don't know, and I don't care, Steven." She said snidely, while sticking her nose high in the air.

She watched as Steven ran a hand down his face, "It's your tone Peridot. If you want something, or if you want someone to do something for you, you ask _nicely_." Steven waved his finger at her, "And that is not what you're doing."

Oh. She needed that word from before. She understood now, and she gave a sigh of defeat.

"Fine. Steven could we _please_ go and do something else? Something that won't rot my brain preferably."

"Yes, yes we can Peridot." Steven told her nicely, "Now, was that so hard?"

All he got in response was a huff from the slightly less annoyed gem. "Your primitive ways still confuse me. If someone wanted something back on Homeworld, all they would have to do is shout an order. No _pleading_. That's for the weak."

"Well you're on Earth now Peridot, and that's not how we do things."

"Apparently."

* * *

"Do you want to go finish the sandcastle?" After Peridot's outburst, the green gem had settled down quite a bit. When Steven thought she was calm enough, he decided to ask the question he had been thinking about all morning.

Peridot was back on the foot of the bed, and was curled on top of the covers like a little cat. She toyed with one of the loose threads that had undone itself from the stitching of the blanket. Even that was more exciting than watching that terrible cartoon. _Anything_ was better than that cartoon.

Did she mention that anything was better than the cartoon?

"Yes! Let's finish the castle made out of sand!" Peridot yelled excitedly, as she threw her arms into the air. She moved to stand up on the bed, but gave off a yelp when she lost her footing. And her face collided into the ground.

Hard.

"Ow!"

"Peridot! Are you okay!?" Steven jumped off of the bed and onto the floor next to his fallen friend. He watched as Peridot brought her hand up to her gem, and as she winced from the contact.

"I'm good Steven." She lied through her teeth, as her insides became twisted. "Let's just go finish the castle." She slowly picked herself off of the floor, a stinging sensation pricked at the edges of her gem. She kept her arms at her sides so she wasn't tempted to rub at the aching stone in the middle of her forehead. She felt a knot form in her throat, but she refrained from letting the whimper escape past her lips.

Steven looked his friend over, "Are you sure you're okay?" He sounded like he didn't believe her, which was not good. Peridot didn't want to look weak in front of him. Again. Missing Jasper was becoming her downfall, but hopefully she won't have that problem anymore.

Jasper was back. It was just a matter of time before she reformed into the protector that Peridot missed for months on end.

"Yes, Steven I'm fine," Peridot gave a cough to clear her throat. "Could we please just go now?"

Steven didn't know what to think; his brain told him to trust Peridot when she said she was fine, but his gut was telling him that something was wrong. "You're sure you're okay?"

" _Yes_."

Instead of going with his gut feeling, he decided to take Peridot's word for it. "If we're going down to the beach, then I need to go to the bathroom first."

Peridot internally panicked when Steven started going down the stairs, heading for the bathroom.

Where she was hiding Jasper.

"Wait!" Peridot yelled as she made a run for the bathroom, "Don't go in there!" Without another word, Peridot ran past Steven towards the bathroom. Almost tripping down the stairs while doing so, but she caught herself on the railing. The aching in her gem intensified as she ran, making tears prick in her eyes.

"Wha-" Was all Steven could get out before Peridot slammed the bathroom door in his face.

 **Author's Note:**

Hey guys and gals! I just wanted to let you guys know that I will probably not be able to update in the next week or so.

I'm going to be in Hawaii!

But trust me, I will not quit on this story! I will be back on the week of the 3rd of April.

But I am working on the next chapter right now, so you might get another one before I leave… which is in a couple days. Just thought I should let you all know that so it doesn't seem like my precious grin was wiped off of the face of this planet! (Peridot reference anyone?)

So I will see you all later!


	8. Bandage for an Open Wound

**Author's Note:**

I'm back!

 **Disclaimer:**

I don't own Steven Universe

 **Sad Song**

 **Chapter Eight: Bandage for an Open Wound**

"Ow ow ow ow!" Peridot brought her right hand up to her gem while her left fiddled around to find the light switch. "Come on, come on!" When she finally found it, she rushed to the mirror and looked at her reflection. Her eyes wide and searching, like she was scared. Scared at what she would find.

Her hair was a mess, her skin was a lighter shade of green than normal, and her outfit was a little mussed up from her landing. Nothing seemed to be wrong, as her eyes scanned her body, she found nothing terribly out of place. Her gravity connectors were fine, her legs were as short as they always were, and her torso was intact. But her breath caught in her throat when her eyes traveled to her head and her sight landed on her gem.

There was a crack in it.

"Oh no…" It wasn't too bad, one had to be pretty close to her to notice it. The hairline crack was present at the edge of her gem, almost where her gem and skin met. That would explain the stinging sensations that hurt so bad that tears pricked at her eyes.

She brought a nervous hand up to her face and gently smoothed her fingers atop her gem, hoping to sooth some of the pain away. Instead of relief like she had wanted, she received another spike of pain. Her shout rung throughout the bathroom, "Nyeh!" Tears gathered in her eyes, but being the stubborn gem she was, she wouldn't let them fall. A darker shade of green dusted her cheeks and her throat ached.

Her gem…

What was she going to do? "Why do I always end up hitting my face on everything?" Ever since she landed on this planet, it seemed like getting hurt was a given. This persisted even after she joined the crystal gems. "Maybe if I just-" She went up to touch her fingers to her gem again but was suddenly stopped.

A knock sounded at the door, "Peridot? Are you okay in there?"

"Yes I'm fine! Just...Give me a second!" Her hand quickly fell to her side as she silently panicked about the room. She gave herself another once over in the mirror, her eyes locked on her slightly cracked gem again. "I'll be fine."

"Peridot?" Came another knock, this time louder and rougher than before.

"One second!" Her hands flew to her messy blonde hair as she tried to figure out what she was still doing in the bathroom.

She remembered what she was in there for, and she quickly scurried to her corner where the orange gem was nestled in her blanket. Gently tossing her bear and towel aside, she grabbed for Jasper's gem and placed the gem into her pocket once more. She exited the bathroom with haste, and ran towards the living room.

* * *

"Peridot?"

When Peridot finally exited the bathroom, she began to make her way to the red couch when Steven's voice stopped her. "Yes Steven?" Her back was turned, and her hands were in a nervous bundle at her chest. She was sweating, from both nervousness and from the pain in her gem. _Oh no, I'm caught._

"What was that all about?"

"What was what about?" She swallowed her nervous chuckle, fearing it would give her away even more.

"When I said I needed to go to the bathroom, you ran like you had something to hide…"

"I don't have anything to hide!" Okay, now the sweat was from the nerves. Why was he looking at her like that? Peridot bit at her lip, the skin going paler where teeth met skin. It seemed as if the world around them had gone completely silent; eerie. This only made Peridot feel lightheaded and woozy. But soon the silence was broken.

"Then why did you want to get to the bathroom before me?" If Steven wasn't suspicious of his friend's actions before, he sure was now. "You're not trying to contact Yellow Diamond again, are you?" At this point he wasn't even mad, just upset with the fact that his friend could be trying to become connected to Homeworld again. That she was attempting to get off of Earth, trying leave the Crystal Gems, trying leave him. It was just too heartbreaking for him to imagine his life without the little green gem in it. She had been living with them for so long already, that it was like she became a part of their close knit family.

But his worries were quelled when Peridot quickly responded with a, "Why would I do that?" Peridot finished her journey to the couch, albeit slowly. "Homeworld doesn't want me anymore." She took a seat on the couch, "Why would they? I'm a traitor." She looked so small on the sofa, nestled in the far corner, furthest away from Steven. Homeworld didn't want her, she was stuck on this planet. Sure, the Crystal Gem's hospitality was nice, but it wasn't home. Home was where her extra set of limb enhancers were, where she was needed at one point to finish a certain task that only a Peridot could accomplish. "Now I'm just useless…" She stared outside, through the window that overlooked the ocean. But looking at the water didn't have the calming effect that she was looking for. Instead it made her feel like she was surrounded by something, an unknown force that pushed onto her from all sides. She felt like she was drowning, suffocating, it didn't matter if she didn't need air to be alive. It felt like the air was drowning her, like the air lost all of its oxygen. She couldn't imagine what Jasper went through when she was at the bottom of the ocean. The pressure would have crushed Peridot, being so deep below sea level. Being a Peridot meant you were dubbed 'not durable' for various tasks. It seemed emotions could be added to that list of 'Things a Peridot Can't do'.

She immediately tore her gaze from the window, away from the cold and unforgiving ocean. Now her gaze was locked on the floor, and she felt her breathing become lighter. The weight being pushed off of her small green shoulders and gone for now. She wasn't drowning anymore, much to her relief.

The soft plush of the couch was soothing, so she burrowed into it further. As she did so, she put her left hand on the pocket of her pants. Feeling secure knowing that Jasper was right next to her, even though she wasn't _actually_ there. But knowing offered little comfort though, without the warmth of Jasper's body by her side she still felt the overwhelming loneliness. "Sometimes…" She brought her knees up to her chest and took a deep breath, "I feel like I'm not wanted anywhere…" This time the tears that were heavy in the back of her eyes weren't from the pain in her gem.

They were from the pain in her heart.

She held them in, she couldn't break down in front of Steven. Not again. What would he think of her? Weak? Small? Or even worse, useless? She already had one world thinking of her that way, she definitely didn't want her new home to think of her that way too. Peridot brought a shaky hand to her nose, and sniffled.

The young half gem approached the couch with caution, he slowly made his way to where the lonely Peridot sat. "Peridot, that's not true." Steven spoke softly, as if he didn't want to frighten her. "The Crystal Gems want you here." He jumped up onto the couch and slowly wrapped an arm around her, in an attempt to provide comfort, "And I want you here, and that's all that matters." The boy gave Peridot a reassuring smile, in which she returned. "Amethyst told me that Pearl felt the same way when her and my mom rebelled against Homeworld too."

 _Mom_ , there was that word again.

"But my mom told her that she wasn't her own gem back on Homeworld, and that she wasn't loved for who she was there." Steven's hold tightened a little, giving Peridot a side hug. "But on Earth, she would be loved, by my mom and other Crystal Gems. And now I'm telling you, Peridot." His gaze locked with hers. "You have us now, so you have nothing to worry about."

Peridot's eyes watered even more, she hadn't known that Steven could be so… touching. She moved her arms to wrap around him in return to the hug he was giving her, so now both Steven and Peridot were locked in an actual embrace. "Thank you…" She felt her resolved weakening, quickly too. Tears slipped from her eyes and rolled down her flushed cheeks. But that only seemed to make Steven hold onto the little gem tighter. Her fingers dug into his shirt, strong enough to leave little claw marks on his skin.

Steven ignored the feeling of Peridot's nails digging into his flesh, as long as she wasn't breaking skin he would leave her be. "You're welcome." It seemed like she really needed to hear that she was wanted, that she belonged. Steven couldn't believe that she thought she wasn't wanted by them, and that troubled him. Did they not treat her fairly? Were they ignoring her? So many things could have made her feel this way, and he just didn't know what.

Steven decided that they should hold off on going outside for a little while, so Peridot could calm down. Minutes later, Peridot's tears had mostly stopped. But she still hadn't removed herself from the small embrace they were sharing. The boy didn't know if he should still ask the question that nagged at the back of his head or not. Still suspicious by his friend's earlier actions that involved the bathroom. But she still seemed upset, enough to make him want to hug the little green gem forever. Before Steven could even utter a word, it seemed she had beaten him to the punch.

"If you must know, I was grabbing my r-rock."

"How did you know I was going to ask that?"

"You make this weird contorted face when you're thinking." She tried to put some humor into the touchy situation. Her eyes hurt, she had been doing way too much crying lately. Peridot rubbed at them, they almost hurt just as much as her gem did. She was surprised that Steven hadn't noticed the injury to the gem so close to him.

She spoke too soon.

"Peridot, what's up with your gem?"

"Um… Nothing is wrong with it." Peridot broke from the warm embrace, and turned her head from the boy's gaze. "I don't know what you're referring to. Aside from the fact that it's probably smudged up from your oily human skin."

"Why are you so stubborn all the time?" Steven's eyes locked on the back of her head, hoping she sensed that he wanted her to turn around. "None of the other gems are like that."

"Well, I'm not like other gems." A hurt look flashed over her features. Being compared to another isn't the best feeling in the world. "I don't want to go outside anymore." Peridot moved off of the couch and made her way back to her sanctuary. She wanted to be alone. The presence of Steven was no longer comforting.

Her trek to the bathroom was short lived however, because the chime of the warp pad sounded throughout the room. All three of the missing gems were centered on it, slightly covered with dirt and grime.

"Guys! You're back!" Steven ran excitedly up to the three.

Garnet stepped off of the warp pad first, and walked over to the couch to take a seat. "Hey Steven. Did you eat the breakfast Pearl made you?"

"Yup! There was no way I was passing up pancakes!"

"Good." She gave off a warm chuckle and ruffled the boy's curly hair.

"What did you and the nerd even do when we were gone?" Amethyst asked on her way to the fridge. She grabbed a plate out of it, and briefly inspected its contents. Satisfied with what she found, she ate the whole thing, including the plate. "It could get kind of boring 'round here without me." She gave a little smirk, "Trust me I'd know." She paused, "But don't ask how."

All the gems in the now full room stood staring at Amethyst, thoroughly confused. Until Steven cleared his throat and offered an awkward laugh. "We didn't do much."

"Well did you at least have fun?" Pearl decided to make herself known, she too walked over into the kitchen. She winced when she saw Amethyst consume another plate of food in one gulp. "We _were_ gone for a couple of hours."

Peridot still stood by the bathroom door, completely silent. Her hand ached to just open the door and confine herself from the others. But something was stopping her, a sick feeling settled into her stomach. She felt like if she went in without at least saying _something_ it would make it seem like something was troubling her and get her more attention.

Or the nausea could have been because Steven had his stare on her from the across other side of the room.

"W-we watched some kind of torture d-device on Steven's primitive image cube…" She felt three more pair of eyes on her now, "That's about it…" She couldn't have sounded any more nervous. _And now I am forever scarred from that_ cartoon, _or whatever Steven calls it._

Pearl's eyes went wide, "Torture!?"

 _Well this is going to be fun to explain._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Well guys, this chapter ends here! Hawaii was fun, I had a great time with my friends. But alas, my time there is over and I must return to the cold:(

But! That also means I get to write again!

So I hope you guys and gals enjoyed the new chapter, and I hope you guys are looking forward to the next one!

(Sorry if my writing skills are a little rusty at the moment, I had to focus more on makeup homework) So I'll see you guys later and have a great day!

PS: this is for the guest Dana-

You should just make an account here! It's free! Because I would absolutely love to have a conversation with you!:)


	9. Torture?

**Author's Note:**

Holy crap.

I haven't updated for a while, and I sincerely apologize for that.

School is almost done; I have about… 16 days left? And once school's out I will definitely be able to produce more chapters. So be prepared for that!

And AHHHHHHHH! I'm going nuts from the new SU episodes! But I want to make it clear that in this particular story, that anything after the episode of "Log Date 7 15 2" didn't happen. I can't really fit what happened in "Super watermelon Island", "Gem Drill", and any future episodes into the plot of my story.

I might be able to, if let's say… that in my story some time has passed… then some of the things that has happened in the newer episodes could be added in. And you guys will definitely know when that happens (For I will make it completely obvious.)

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

 **Disclaimer:**

I still do not own Steven Universe

 **Sad Song**

 **Chapter Nine: Torture?**

Peridot had finally made it back into her porcelain domain; back to her safety net. The pain in Peridot's gem was pulled to the front of her brain again as she softly brushed her hand against the green triangle shaped gem by accidental means. But it seemed even the lightest of touches was enough to make it ache and burn, like a gaping wound. Tears stung the young gems eyes and her throat ached to produce sound, but she didn't let her feelings be voiced and didn't let the tears fall. _Bare through the pain._ With sharp teeth clenched, Peridot produced the orange gem from the safety of her pocket and placed it back into its nest of towels.

"There," The small gem rubbed at her eyes from under her green tinted visor, trying to remove any trace of unshed tears. "You should be more comfortable here than in my small pocket." A little chuckle, "If you could even feel or hear in this form…" She then proceeded to lay on the cold bathroom floor in a bundle by the silent and non-reacting gem, in hope to find comfort in her time of pain. She breathed a remorseful sigh, "Why aren't you back yet?"

Again, her only answer was the trickling water from the bathroom's pipes that hid in the walls. But she could also hear something else; the toned out voices of the other gems in the kitchen could still be heard. The recent important conversation had passed, leaving Peridot with nothing but a reason to return to her sanctuary. So with a turn of a knob and the slam of the door, she was once again in solitude.

The conversation with the other gems still ran through her head like a freight train. The gems had come back with news of the cluster, but Peridot couldn't really tell if they were good or bad. The small gem played back the conversation over and over in her head.

* * *

After Pearl's outburst of torture, Peridot had tried (and failed) to properly explain to Pearl about the cartoon. But it seemed Amethyst had noticed Peridot's struggle to get an explanation through to Pearl and graciously took the lead for her.

"Chill P, she's probably talkin' 'bout Crying Breakfast Friends!" She snorted. The purple gem then moved in close to Pearl and whispered, "You know how that show gets…"

Well… She wasn't wrong.

"I'll take your word for it Amethyst." Pearl then clapped her hands, in turn gaining everyone's attention. "Steven. Peridot. We have news." There air in the room became thick at these words, even Amethyst's happy expression turned into one of grave concern. Garnet moved from the couch, instead she shifted over to stand next to Pearl.

"It's about the cluster." Garnet's voice was hard, but if you weren't paying attention, you would have missed the concern lining her voice. "It won't be long until it emerges."

"B-but the drill isn't even _done_ yet!" Peridot's anchored feet moved from their place near the bathroom door. Her voice was filled with dread and seemingly never ending panic, "How long do we have!? Why aren't we working on the drill this very second!?" Her short strides finally stopped when she made it to Garnet's legs. "Why aren't we doing anything!? Ow!"

An intense pain ran through Peridot's gem throughout her rant, growing stronger after every word and phrase. This was even worse than before; the searing pain was nothing like she had ever experienced before. It felt as if the gaping wound had turned into an amputation undergone without any drug to dull the pain.

It felt like full on _torture_. Her eyes tingled, but it couldn't be for the need to cry. Peridot didn't think she didn't have any more tears to shed anyway.

The pain finally ebbed away into the back of her brain again, and once it did, Peridot heaved a big sigh. The tingling in her eyes was gone too, but a numbness in her nose replaced it.

What the small gem didn't notice was that the crack in her gem had widened through her ordeal. It seemed the others hadn't noticed either, but Garnet had noticed the pain in Peridot's expression.

"Peridot, are you alright?" Garnet was kneeling in front of her now, her hand on Peridot's shoulder. Her eyes were soft behind her dark visor, along with the tone of her voice. "What's wrong?"

"I'm… Fine." _I think._ "My head just aches, but that doesn't matter! What about the cluster?" The green gem rubbed at her eyes and nose, attempting to scrub away the weird feelings that had accumulated during her experience of intense pain. "What are we going to do?"

Garnet seemed to have dropped Peridot's earlier behavior, "Don't worry."

"We have a plan." Pearl interjected, "and we're going to need your help."

* * *

"I don't see how that's even going to be possible!"

"Calm down Peridot."

"How do you expect to finish the drill at this rate!?" The five gems sat around the kitchen counter, with the exception of the green gem who was pacing the floor. "We don't have the Scandium, and we would be wasting more precious time looking for it!"

"We could find some quickly." Pearl tried to console the frustrated gem, "I could send Amethyst to look for the Scandium right away."

"Yeah! I can go searching for it! I like to dig in the mud!"

"It doesn't matter how fast you say you'll find it." Peridot faced the other gems, a look of frustration on her usually stoic face. "We would still be wasting time rebuilding the frame with that alloy."

"Peridot, we need the outside of the drill to be stronger. We won't make it through earth's mantle if we don't add it." The older gems nodded in agreement with Garnet.

"She's right, we won't make it otherwise." Pearl ran her hand through her short hair, "Will you please help us?"

All the gems had their eyes on Peridot, their looks pleading. A minuscule amount of sweat had formed on Peridot's hands; their gazes making her nervous. "F-fine. I'll help." Peridot's nerves were now washed away, and it was replaced with confidence. "But you better go and find that alloy right away. I don't know how long exactly it will take to replace the metal coating we previously have."

* * *

It was good that Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl had found out about a stronger metal to use for the drill. The problem was the time it will take up to basically rebuild the drill, and according to Garnet, time was not on their side.

But Peridot didn't want to think about it anymore, the process just made her head hurt. Her gem still ached, and she wanted nothing more than to do, well… nothing. She still laid on the bathroom tile, and she was still next to the nest she made for Jasper.

The bathroom floor felt cool against Peridot's skin, soothing even. It made her want to try that sleeping thing that Steven always did again. She had once tried it before, but it seemed that sleeping just wasn't her thing. When she had tried it, she just ended up tossing and turning, and was never able to clear her mind enough for sleep to take over. She wanted nothing more than time to fly by, she was tired of waiting. She wanted the cluster gone and dealt with, but she also wanted Jasper back. Just the thought of the orange gem was a comforting one, it made her feel warm and fuzzy.

Jasper's gem was right in front of her, nestled between the folds of the makeshift blanket. But Peridot felt like she wasn't close enough to the gem, and proceeded to wiggle her body closer. She wrapped her body around the nest, but didn't smother Jasper's gem with her small body.

The voices from the other side of the door were gone now, meaning that the others had left to look for the element for the drill. Steven had said he had wanted to help look for it too, so Peridot could only assume he had left with them. Meaning…

Peridot was all by herself.

The quiet was nice, and the throbbing in her gem seemed to be soothed from the lack of noise throughout the beach house. "If only it could be like this all the time…"

* * *

Peridot sat on the sink, examining the crack in her once perfect gem. Her hands moved delicately around it, making sure not to touch it for the fear that it might make it worse. "Just great. Look! It's gotten bigger. How am I supposed to help stop the cluster from emerging if I can't even function?"

Her fingertips just barely touched her gem, causing her to give a hiss of pain. "Ack!" She went to place her hand on the sink but ended up missing her target. "Oh no-ah!" And with that, she gracelessly fell from atop of the sink and landed on her rump. "Just what I wanted, another injury to add to the growing list." She groaned as she moved her hand to her backside, "I hope I didn't crack my butt too…"

She stopped.

"Wait a second."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

End of chapter 9! Hope you enjoyed it! Again, sorry about the long wait!


	10. Thinking Hurts

**Author's Note:**

I know I said I would write more, and I haven't. Sorry about that…. I haven't felt like it, and I wasn't expecting to be as busy as I was. BUT! The new episodes gave me some inspiration! So here is the next chapter! By the way- if you like child Peridot, I think you would like a fanfiction called "Reaching New Ground" by Nevenger! It's such a good story! Nevenger's having a tough time in life right now- So leave some positive reviews for them! Tell Nevenger that CedeK18 sent ya!;)

 **Disclaimer:**

I don't own Steven Universe

 **Sad Song**

 **Chapter Ten: Thinking Hurts**

Peridot wasn't sure on how much time had passed, her body still wasn't attuned to this planet's rotations. Steven hadn't taught her the basics of Earth time, with being busy with the drill and all. But it felt like too much time went by as she waited for the other gems to return and for the gem that her body was wrapped around to reform. The stress of waiting this long brought an aching to her gem, but she had to reluctantly withdraw her hands away from soothing it. She didn't want a replay of what happened last time. So instead of pressing her fingers against her gem, she started drumming them on the floor.

"I knew that regeneration took time, but this is ridiculous."

As if someone was watching her, Peridot looked around the dimly lit bathroom, her head snapping left to right. She knew she obviously wasn't; the gems had left…hours ago? Again, keeping track of time wasn't her thing. But she still felt the need to check her general surroundings anyway. Once Peridot was done scoping the area, she locked her eyes on the gem in front of her. "Hm." With a frown and a small green forefinger raised, she brought it closer to the gem sitting in the towels. If Peridot had a heart, it would have been pounding against her chest. Thank the stars nobody from Homeworld was watching her. Peridot herself couldn't even stand the thought of what she was about to do. Sweat dusted her brow, and her clenched hand by her side became clammy. She swallowed thickly and prepared for the worst.

She poked it.

* * *

"Are you sure Peridot will be okay back at the house by herself? We haven't really done that before…" Steven asked nervously as he side-stepped a log that was on the ground. He looked up to Garnet, "Maybe we should go back and get her?"

"Peridot can take care of herself Steven. We have to start giving her more credit than we have been lately. And besides," Garnet smiled down at the boy and gave his hair a loving tussle, the boy gave a smile in return. "She seemed kind of upset with us….and our decision with the drill. I thought it might be a good time for her to cool off for awhile."

The four crystal gems walked along a grassy path that was a small distance away from the barn. Pearl believed she knew the location of the element they needed, they would get to the element in no time if they followed this path. Pearl lead the way, followed by Garnet who was still reassuring Steven about his worries with Peridot. Amethyst lagged in the back, with her arms crossed behind her head as she stared aimlessly at the pretty blue sky. "The nerd will be fine!" She breathed out, "Lion's there too, the hairy beast will protect her if he needed to." She gave out a huff of annoyance, and brought her right hand down her face. "P! I thought you said this wouldn't take long… I'm starving."

"You don't _need_ to eat Amethyst. And if you stopped complaining and did more walking, you wouldn't be so far behind!" She practically yelled to the purple gem.

Realizing she was lagging behind the group she ran up to them, almost tripping over the log that Steven missed earlier. "You don't know what you're missing Pearl~" Amethyst said mockingly, "I could use a nice greasy pizza right now…"

"You are absolutely revolting."

"Rude."

"I don't understand you sometimes." Pearl put her mind back at the task at hand. "Let's just get this over with."

"This was your idea…" Amethyst accused. "And normally you're not one to rush your own ideas."

"Well I'm sorry to say that I still don't trust Peridot that much."

"Pearl? Why not?" Steven's voice broke through Amethyst's and Pearl's conversation, sounding both sad and annoyed. "She's a Crystal Gem too!"

At that, the group had stopped walking. Stunned by Steven's outburst, they all turned their attention to the boy. The woods surrounding the trail was silent, aside from the chirping birds and Steven's breathing.

"Steven-" Pearl let an angry sigh escape, but tried to keep her head level. You could hear it in her voice, calm but tight. "She's still a Homeworld Gem in my eyes. She can't just change overnight!"

"It's been _weeks_ Pearl! You've seen how she's been acting! She's one of us!"

Pearl wrung her hands through her short hair, "Listen- Homeworld is very different from Earth." Her hands did random gestures in the air, seeming to help her get her point across. "Where she came from- I have my reasons to not be trusting just yet."

Garnet and Amethyst stayed quiet, unknowingly thinking along the same lines as Pearl. They knew better than to voice them though; Garnet because of her future vision and Amethyst because she didn't want to hear the fight that was bound to happen. The one that was presenting its ugly head now.

"How am I supposed to know what you're talking about when you guys _won't_ tell me about Homeworld?!" Exasperated, Steven stormed off further down the trail.

"Steven!" Pearl yelled, and was about to give chase when a strong but gentle hand stopped her. Angrily, she yanked Garnet's hand off of her arm and stopped in her tracks.

"Way to go P."

"Oh can it Amethyst."

"Guy's this is not the time or the place for this." Garnet stood in between the two, "We have to go get Steven." Adjusting her visor, she began to walk in the direction the boy had stormed off to.

"You can't be thinking this is my fault! I just said what was all on our minds, and you know it." Pearl stayed where she was standing, her arms crossed. "And I can't believe that you actually left Peridot in our _home, alone_!"

"P, you gotta calm down!"

"I am calm!"

The two continued to banter back and forth, it was almost like they were trying to see who could be the loudest. It only lasted moments though when it seemed that the fusion had enough of their childish behavior. She forcefully pushed them apart to get in between the two- they were getting into each others faces so much Garnet was worried this fight would take a physical turn. When apart, the two gems sneered at each other in anger.

"It's no one's fault! Alright!? Break it up you two!" With that order, Amethyst and Pearl looked away from each other. Instead of anger that had been on their faces moments before, guilt had taken over. Once Garnet was sure the fight was over, she let a sigh escape past her lips.

"I know how you feel Pearl- but we have to trust Steven on this. That's why I left Peridot back at the house. We have to give her some credit, and we can't keep treating her like the enemy." Garnet started up her trek in the direction Steven had went in, the other two close behind.

"I know that Garnet, but-" Pearl started.

"We need to show her _and_ Steven that we can place our trust in her. What better way to do that by putting her in a situation where she can leave?" Pearl was about to speak again when Garnet interrupted once more. "If she stays- I think I can trust her. And if she leaves… Then our suspicions were right."

* * *

"Ugh!" Steven grumbled to himself. "Pearl's wrong! She has to be wrong! Peridot isn't like that!" The boy kicked at some twigs that littered the path, along with a few pebbles. Peridot was one of them now, right? A Crystal Gem. She wouldn't have called Yellow Diamond a clod and not mean it. Surely they could trust her, she was a good gem now! But…

What about earlier?

The rock- her lucky rock right? That was what was in Peridot's pocket? But what about how panicked she was when he attempted to use the bathroom? Was she hiding something or…

No! He couldn't think like that! What about how upset Peridot was about being alone? A gem that was guilty of something wouldn't want attention. Surely she was telling the truth about her rock and what it meant. What about her missing Jasper!? Couldn't the gems see that she wasn't a bad gem! Steven couldn't believe they actually left her alone too! If anything she needed to be in their presence, from what he could tell she doesn't like being alone…

Ugh! He was so confused! Steven grabbed at his head, then put his palm down his face with a sigh.

"Now I don't know what to think."


	11. Oh My Stars

**Author's Note:**

Just a reminder, none of the episodes after Log Date 7 15 2 happened. I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

 **Disclaimer:**

I don't own SU.

 **Sad Song**

 **Chapter Eleven: Oh My Stars**

It was nighttime, most organisms would be in bed by now. The stars and moon shined brightly down onto the beach house, and the air around it was covered in a layer of serene bliss. Crickets chirruped in between the blades of grass and glowing fireflies took to the air, illuminating the dark sky with their yellow lights. Peridot herself had been watching them from the porch, fascinated, her eyes trained onto the flying beings while she received an explanation from Steven. That was hours ago, and aside from the waves crashing onto the beach and the crickets, everything was silent. Steven had already retired to his sleeping chambers, and the other Crystal Gems had receded into the temple, as they do every night. Steven had insisted that a "nightlight" should be installed in the bathroom for the green gem. So the cubicle was washed with a soft glow that emitted from the star shaped light plugged into the sink outlet. It was nice, Peridot thought, not being covered in complete darkness.

Without the need to _really_ sleep, and the fact that everyone had retired into their respective rooms, Peridot was left with herself and her thoughts. With a swift hand, she grabbed her beloved tape recorder and casted a longing gaze at the immobile stone that rested on some towels nearby. "Log date 7 14 2, this is Peridot logging the status of the gem known as Jasper." The young green gem sat among the sloppily folded towels, leaning in closer to the orange gem that was eerily still and encompassed by the blue cloth, inspecting it. Peridot gave a disappointed sigh, "Still no sign of regeneration yet…. Or ever. A Jasper such as this one should _not_ be taking this long. It's been two days… I think…" With shaky legs she stood, and moved towards the bathroom door. One hand was folded behind her back while the other was on the tape recorder, she continued her log. "Anyway, the others found the Scandium and I have proceeded in replacing the initial covering of the drill with this element. We will soon be able to partake in this 'taking down the cluster' plan, and all of this work will finally pay off."

In the events of working on the drill, Peridot felt she couldn't just leave the colossal gem in the bathroom all alone. So she took it upon herself to place the stone into her pocket once more and bring her to the barn to work on the drill with her. The other gems seemed to take notice in the fact she was being _extra_ careful lately. Keeping equipment away from her body and trying to refrain from any contact, in fear of injuring the gem in her pocket. They abstained from asking her any questions, and she was happy that her plan was working so far.

But on one particular day, her plan almost went right down the figurative drain. She had been on a ladder that was propped up against the drill, on her way to fix a few screws that hadn't been tightened all the way. With a small electric drill in hand, she climbed up the ladder, well, until she missed a step halfway up and fell to the ground.

Right on her side where she kept Jasper in her small pocket.

The rest of that scenario ended with a few tears being shed, a panic attack, and a worried order from the fusion to go home and calm down.

Pearl, Steven, Amethyst, and Garnet had rushed to the distressed little gem and tried to ask what was wrong. But the worried gem's questions had been unanswered. They didn't know what was wrong, let alone how to help her. Peridot could only shake and try to hold in tears as she grabbed at her pocket. For that, she had gotten a weird look from Steven, and not a look of sympathy or comfort. But in the heat of the moment she didn't care, not when Jasper's gem could have been severely damaged at her own hand.

The permafusion had decided to take things into her own hands, and offered a friendly hand towards the gemling. Garnet had helped the young gem to her feet and warped her back to the beach house. Peridot had politely declined the fusion's kind offer to stay with her, but she needed to check on Jasper, and she couldn't do that with her around.

"Are you sure?" Garnet's condescending tone was not unfriendly, but more warm and caring. It reminded Peridot of someone else… And she couldn't help but get a little choked up over it.

"Y-yes I'm fine, honest." But by the look on the fusion's face, she didn't buy any of it. With a sad lift of her mouth, Garnet gently took the small gem's hand in her own and lead her to the pillow covered couch. The tall gem took small steps for the shorter gem's sake, and for that, Peridot was grateful. Before she knew it, her and Garnet had made it to the cushiony platform. Peridot's eyes were wide beneath her green tinted visor as the bigger gem plopped herself down onto the couch and reached for her. She was grabbed by the underarms and was put onto the maroon gem's lap. The small Peridot struggled in the larger gem's grip, trying to escape. "What-what are you doing!?"

"You need to calm down. Just relax Peridot, I'm not going to hurt you." Garnet draped her long arms over the small gem, and wrapped her in a gentle hug. "I'll sit with you for a while, and then I'll go back to the drill, okay?"

"Is that an order?" She asked up to the fusion, while displaying a gloomy look.

Garnet repositioned the gem in her lap, and reached out for a nearby blanket. Humming along as she did so, which confused Peridot greatly. She knew the one perched in her lap didn't deal with anxiety well, and she wanted to help. Garnet herself didn't plan on leaving anytime soon, but she didn't want this impressionable gem to think she was bossing her around. "Hmmm… no." That response had gotten a confused look from Peridot, and the young gem looked like she didn't know what to think. Garnet gave a little chuckle, and continued to wrap the blanket around Peridot. "It's not an order, it's an offer. I can leave if you really want me to… But I would like to stay to make sure that you're alright." Her arms returned to hug the small gem to her chest, the warmth that Garnet gave off was astounding, and Peridot couldn't help but bury herself in it.

D-did she want Garnet to stay?

"Okay…" Came a whisper from under the blanket that Garnet hugged to her chest. Peridot couldn't tell if she was blushing from the heat or from embarrassment, but the evergreen flush on her cheeks was definitely there. She hadn't felt like this in a long time, she almost felt needed, _wanted_. She hadn't felt this way since Jasper…

JASPER!

She needed to check on her! The orange gem was still in her pocket, the small gem had to make sure _she_ was okay!

But… she hadn't received any hugs lately, and this felt rather nice….

Okay, just for a little while.

Peridot made herself more comfortable in the warmth of Garnet's lap, and once she seated herself properly, buried her face back into the larger gem's chest. They sat there for a while, but soon after Garnet needed to get back to the others. She stood with the tiny gem bundled in her arms and stretched her spine out before placing Peridot back onto the couch. The older gem had helped her settle back into the cushions, and within seconds another soft blanket was wrapped around her tiny shoulders, turns out Garnet had figured out that warmth was Peridot's sedative.

With a wave of her hand, Garnet warped back to the barn and Peridot was left alone to tend to Jasper.

The gem in her pocket hadn't suffered any injuries from the fall, but Peridot felt like she herself had suffered some emotional injuries from that experience. But now with the outer layer of the drill completed, she was able to stay out of situations like that, and decided to leave all of the tall work to Pearl instead.

A long silence had fallen upon Peridot as she recorded her log, her mind replaying what had transpired during the last couple of days. An ache shook her form, reminding her of another problem. "The others haven't noticed my…. predicament yet." Her reflection scowled back at her after she made the short trek to the sink to gaze at herself. She gently prodded it with stubby fingers, "The crack hasn't gotten any bigger, but it hasn't gotten any smaller either." Peridot continued to speak into the recorder solemnly, "There were a few instances when I thought I was going to split; the pain was so great. But it was probably my imagination. Sometimes it hurts so much- I just-" Her reflection had gone blurry, her sight blinded by some unshed tears. She gave a sniff and wiped her eye with her free hand. "I don't know what to do." A pause, and then a whisper, "Peridot, Facet Five end log."

She didn't need sleep, but why did it feel like she _wanted_ to?

Her eyes hurt, most likely from her crying. She didn't want to try to rest her body again, the last time was so bad she had sworn off the human act. But…. her head hurt tremendously, and honestly she was willing to try anything.

She padded over to the pile of towels and made herself comfortable, she stretched her arms above her head and gave a little yawn. There was definitely enough room for her on the towels, and then some. Her tired body sagged into the cloth, they were lumpy, but it was the best that she could do, maybe she could convince Steven to let her have some of the pillows from the living room… Later though.

She turned her body away from the nightlight plugged into the wall, the little thing an inconvenience when trying to get some 'shut eye'. With her back facing the door and her front facing Jasper's gem, she curled into herself and tried to relax. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and then there was that darkness you could only attain from sleep.

Darkness covered her vision, and she sighed. Minutes later though, right before she fell asleep, a light pricked at the corner of her eyes. With a grumble, she turned her body even more away from the nightlight, and tugged an arm over to shield her eyes.

But that dang light just wouldn't go away. Even worse, it seemed like it was getting brighter with each passing second. The little gem opened her glowing green orbs in annoyance, but was surprised at what she saw.

The.

Gem.

Was.

Glowing- Jasper's gem was glowing!

"Oh my stars!" Startled, Peridot jumped from her little nest and backed into a nearby wall, a look of excitement covered her face. The small gem's squinted gaze moved over to the stone that was emitting the bright light, and watched as it lifted into the air. It seemed like it was taking forever for the big gem to appear, she could only wait with shaking limbs for her to take form. She jumped from foot to foot, making little excited squeals as she did so.

The room seemed to become smaller when Jasper had finally reformed, and it seemed she was having trouble adjusting to the bleak darkness of the bathroom even with the dull nightlight, her eyes squinted in slight pain. "Wha-"

"Jasper!" The young gem pounced at the bulky being and latched onto her left leg. But unbeknownst to Peridot, Jasper still couldn't see yet.

"What the-!" Startled, Jasper was sent scrambling backwards as she tried to grab the walls for purchase. Quickly, she ran out of wall and her legs hit the rim of the tub, and she proceeded to fall backwards into the porcelain bath. The fall was mix of hair and limbs flying through the air, along with a Peridot getting dragged down for the ride.

Jasper's legs were extended into the air, one in which a small gem still gripped to like a vice with both her arms and her legs. Peridot hung high in the air and could only nervously laugh and dangle as she realized her mistake. "Nyeheh… Oopsie?"

 **Author's Note:**

I just wanted to let you guys know- THAT YOU'RE ALL SO AWESOME, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE FOLLOWS AND FAVORITES AND REVIEWS! Seriously though, thank you all! This story isn't even close to being over yet- so stay tuned!

The Garnet and Peridot scene in this chapter is dedicated to one of my good friends on this site, TheBookWorm106, hoped you enjoyed the chapter my friend!;)


	12. Warrior

**Authors note:**

Hey guys:) sorry for the really late update, school and my job do not give me a lot of time to write or get motivation. But! I do have some news that I think most of you will like! I've decided that for some chapters I'm going to provide some illustrations! Some might be just one, and some might be like a comic? I don't know the details yet- but at the end of chapters I'll let you guys know when I post art-the links will be in my profile with labels to which chapter they belong to. But let me know what you think, I'm not quite sure if it'll work or not.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

 **Disclaimer:**

I don't own SU

 **Sad Song**

 **Chapter Twelve: Warrior**

"Jasper!" The small gem clung to the general's foot with a tight hold, and with her exclamation she had started to climb up Jasper's leg. "You're back, you're really back! I can't believe it! What took you so long!? Why are you in the tub? Did you get taller since the last time I saw you?" Peridot made it up to the orange gem's chest and eagerly leaned in towards Jasper's face, eyes wide. It'd been so long! Jasper was actually there in the flesh, the longing to catch up with the colossal warrior washed over Peridot. "Your hair is kind of tangly," her stubby green fingers brushed out a piece of seaweed that still clung to her mane of hair. This should've been gone if Jasper had to regenerate her form…. Did she rush her regeneration? "Do you need the tool that has an abundance of bristles to remove the massive amount of tangles? Amethyst uses them all the time- I could obtain one for you!" Peridot babbled on excitedly, her heart almost thumping out of her chest.

Jasper's eyesight was still trying to adjust to the lack of light in the room and something was on her foot- oh wait now it was on her chest. From the voice, she soon realized it was the little pipsqueak sitting on her. It was rather uncomfortable sitting in such a small space, she realized as she gave a little wiggle. Embarrassed, she couldn't help but blush at the fact that she had been clumsy enough to fall over, and into a small constricting space no less. She rubbed at her eye with her mobile arm, the other being stuck against the inside of the tub; the space she was stuck in wasn't exactly produced to fit her size. "Wha- Peridot slow down. I can't even see yet, why the hell is it so dark in here?"

Peridot's head perked at the question and she bounded off of Jasper's chest and ran to the door. "Oh I can fix that." She flipped the light switch, "Any better?"

"Yeah a bit…" When she opened her yellow eyes, Jasper could finally see. Her pupils became dilated but then shrunk back to their correct size, a dull pain flashed at the back of her retinas. _Obviously, I needed more time regenerating_. Blinking her eyes, she took in her surroundings skeptically, her cat eyes narrowed. "Wait."

"What is it?"

This room was definitely not familiar to Jasper, and her brain automatically flipped to 'on edge' mode. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, almost as if expecting something to jump out at her from the shadows. From what she knew about humans over the years- she knew that this was a waste disposal unit, but why was Peridot here? Why was _she_ in here? Where were the humans? She looked up to the nervous looking Peridot at the door, "Who put you in this room?" Came the growl from the orange gem.

"Put? No one _put_ me in here Jasper. I walked in here myself… The bathroom seemed like a good idea at the time-"

"Tch- bathroom? So, that's what they call this disgusting cubical." Jasper gripped the edge of the tub to pull herself up, her voice gaining a bit of malice. "Humans are repulsive creatures-"

"They're not _all_ bad." Peridot interjected as she went to grab the others red hand, "Here."

Jasper's face softened at the action and even though she knew that Peridot was not strong enough to pull her up, she decided to humor her nonetheless. She had to admit- odd as it was- she had a soft spot for this tiny green gem. With a chuckle, she let Peridot 'pull' her out of the tub, when she stepped out of it, she was reminded just how small the young gem really was. After Peridot released her hand, Jasper walked to the mirror and examined it with a prodding finger, "So where are we anyway?" She questioned as she rubbed at a smudge on the glass.

"The Crystal Gems base."

 _Crack._

"Jasper! How am I supposed to explain what happened to the mirror!?"

The mirror gave way to a crack that Jasper had formed with the amount of pressure she had put on her index finger when the words had left Peridot's mouth. Her hands shifted to grip the sink for leverage, fierce yellow eyes made contact with nervous green ones in the reflection of the mirror.

"But more importantly-" Jasper's voice dropped to a dangerous growl, "Is how are you going to explain why I'm in the base of those traitors…" She made her way towards Peridot.

"Now Jasper-" she held up her hands up in a defensive gesture as the hulking gem came closer, "I told you I was going to bring you here when I found you on the beach! You said you…trusted me." The other gem stopped her advance on Peridot; quiet. Something seemed _off_ with Jasper, but Peridot couldn't put her finger on just what was wrong. The hulking gem seemed frazzled, and her eyes would dart to all over the room; anxious and confused, but then they would refocus back onto the small gem. Then something clicked. "Do you...not remember?"

"Remember? What's there to remember?" Jasper groaned and put a hand to her head in confusion, her thoughts muddled. The pain behind her retinas returned with a flash of white, and the pain and confusion fueled her anger. With a grunt, she closed the distance between her and the other gem, reached down, and snatched the panicked Peridot by the scruff of her green uniform. "Why. Am. I. Here?" Golden orbs burned into Peridot's stunned green ones, the distance between the two a minuscule amount. "You better start giving me answers runt!" The sharp point of Jasper's gem-nose met Peridot's dainty one. The gem planted in the middle of her face glowed threateningly as her anger flared.

Startled at the others tone, Peridot whimpered, "Jasper! Keep your voice down, you're going to wake Steven! Then we'll both be in trouble-" She stressed as she trailed off, she still didn't know how she was going to keep this gem hidden. Especially if Jasper was just going to give away her position to the others just by being loud. "But you told me to bring you here!"

Jasper complied with Peridot's wishes to be quiet, but her eyes narrowed at that last quip, "I… _Did_?"

"Well… You more or less agreed when I offered." The green gem gave a nervous laugh as she looked down and took notice that she was still dangling _very_ high off of the ground. "Could you possibly… put me down now?" She swatted at any part of Jasper she could reach at, which was her chest, "I really don't want to turn into a gem pancake if I fall…"

Jasper was so much friendlier the last time they had met, what happened? But then again… that wasn't Jasper's normal behavior before either. Did the time fused as Malachite really have that much more of an effect on her than Peridot had originally thought? Aggressive was the word she would describe Jasper now, easily agitated, short fused. All-in-all, not a good situation to be apart of. But Peridot glimpsed a light of hope when she received a confused look when she mentioned the word 'pancake'.

"..."

"..."

"What the hell is a pan-cake?" At Peridot's soft smile, the anger in Jasper's chest dissipated and a grin graced her face as well. She set the small gem on her feet, and proceeded to take a seat herself on the pile of towels. She wrung a hand through her mess of hair as she watched Peridot dust herself off and right her uniform. Anger wasn't uncommon for a Quartz, but that was ridiculous. It shouldn't have happened.

Peridot wasn't the only one confused.

Unbeknownst to Peridot, Jasper was not the _only_ gem who'd changed in the others absence. Peridot was acting… more immature than her usual self. Back on the ship she was always trying to hide emotion, but here… she was showing it willingly. Jasper couldn't tell if that was for the better or not. She looked so small without her limb enhancers… Why were they gone? Did those traitors strip them from her, and leave her utterly defenseless? Jasper had to admit, when put into the position of taking a prisoner, she would've done the same. Either way… She kind of liked Peridot this way. Looking back on her earlier behavior, she winced, and decided she needed to try to make up for it. She gripped the soft towels that littered the floor and leaned forward.

As Peridot was fixing her uniform to its original position, she felt a big hand softly ruffle her hair. She looked up to see Jasper gazing at her, the expression she wore regretful. It was her way of apologizing; it was a silent one but Peridot always knew Jasper truly meant it. She placed her hand atop of the orange gems' colossal hand, offering a quiet 'it's okay'. Jasper removed her hand when Peridot began to speak in a rushed tone.

Moment ruined.

"Never mind what a pancake is! You mean to tell me you don't have any recollection of when we were at the beach? You were covered in sand? You couldn't shapeshift? Any of this ringing a bell?" Peridot was grasping at straws now to get this gem to remember. She didn't want to seem distrustful in Jasper's eyes, "You know I would never lie to you, right?" She plopped herself onto the floor before Jasper, her hands on the others knees as she leaned forward in anticipation.

"I know you wouldn't lie to me Peridot," Jasper huffed, "But… No." The tiny gem waited silently for Jasper to continue, "All I remember… Is dragging my body out of the ocean-" She put a hand to her forehead and blinked; something came back to her. "I remember- ugh" She groans, "You… falling on me? And then… Nothing. Someone shouting?" She gave a shake of her head, her head feeling dizzy. "It all gets kind of cloudy from there."

"Well-" At that moment Peridot began to fill Jasper in on all that had happened, including the incident when Peridot was thrown into the wall. Jasper took notice of the fact that throughout her explanation, Peridot would reach up to her gem and give a barely noticeable wince. But her small discovery was overturned when the guilt of hitting Peridot sank in. She had hit her! Without her limb enhancers she must've flown far without that extra weight. It must've hurt tremendously.

"I-I hit you…?" Jasper was clearly upset, "Are you hurt? I didn't hurt'cha did I?" Orange hands went to check for any sign of injury, but Peridot would slap her hands away.

"You did-" This only seemed to upset Jasper more, so Peridot quickened her speech. "But you made it all better! No-no need to worry about it!"

"But I _do_ need to worry about it! Peridot I could've seriously hurt you!" She made a move to grab Peridot again, "You can't just take a hit from a Quartz and say 'you're okay'." Grabbing her by the underarms, Jasper hefted Peridot into her lap and cradled her in an arm. She fit into the crook of her arm like a glove, that is, if a glove normally struggles when you put it on.

"Jasper!" She yelled indignantly, as a green blush imprinted itself onto her face. What's up with these quick mood changes? First she was angry, sad, and then affectionate. But she had to admit…

She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the affection right now.

"Shush Peridot, the others might hear you~" Jasper teased, once she had a good hold on the green gem, she started examining her in a playful way. "Let's see-" Peridot squealed when Jasper grabbed at her little toes, "these seem to be in working condition…"

"I'm fine, honest!" Peridot scrambled in the hulking gem's arms, in a vain attempt to get away from her prodding fingers.

"You never can be too sure." Jasper sprawled her hand across Peridot's tiny stomach, stroking her in a comforting gesture. "I was gone for a long time, and I don't know if those _Crystal Gems_ did anything to you."

Peridot purred at the hand giving her a belly rub, and gazed up at the orange gem. "They didn't…" She thought back to the time when they had bubbled her, and the time when she contacted Yellow Diamond. If Jasper ever found out, she had a feeling that a fight would break out. So she decided not to mention it at all. "I'm all in one piece."

* * *

Peridot insisted that she was fine, so after a few more seconds of prodding, the Quartz stopped. She was glad that the gem hadn't caught her with a cracked gem, surely she would've blamed the others, and then no trust would ever be formed by the Crystal Gems and Jasper.

It must've been somewhere between midnight and two o'clock in the morning by now, Peridot couldn't hear movement outside of the bathroom. Her ear had been pressed on the door for a few minutes- just to be sure.

"The Steven and the others are still in their sleeping chambers. So we still have to be quiet for awhile."

"Whatever you say Dot." She picked at the towels on the floor, "What in the hell are we supposed to do until then?"

The light that emitted from the nightlight made Jasper's half-lidded eyes glow warmly; making her look drained. Being stuck in a fusion must have taken a lot of this strong gem, which was surprising to Peridot; she had never seen this gem look this way. With a scratch to her head Peridot soon thought of a brilliant idea. She may not like it herself, but she was sure that Jasper could gain a lot from it.

"I'll be right back!" She whispered as she softly turned the doorknob and tiptoed to the living room. She left the door slightly ajar. Jasper sat on the floor and ran a tired hand through her tangled hair again as she tried to get the snarls out. Peridot returned not a moment later, in her arms a jumble of pillows and a medium sized blanket. She struggled to close the door and ended up just tossing everything onto the floor in a big pile as she swiftly shut the door with a soft click. "Now I know this may be new to you- but I think you need this right now." She motioned to the pillows on the floor, "Do you mind getting up for a second?"

With a confused tilt of her head, Jasper heaved herself from the floor and stepped out of Peridot's way. "What's this about?" She eyed the working gem as she scattered the pillows evenly onto the ground, how had she even carried that many pillows in her arms at once? She shook her head from side to side, crazy little gem.

"On Earth, organic life normally does this thing at night-" She grunted as she lifted the blanket to spread it over the pillows in a makeshift bed. "It's called sleeping. They do it to regain energy." The little gem plopped herself down onto the bed and patted the space to her right with a smile gracing her face, motioning towards the other gem to join her. "Come on."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

I know, I know, it's kind of a crappy place to stop- but I wanted to get as much written as possible so I could post it:) And I just want to say, thank you all who follow me and who favorite my stories- it means a lot. It gives me motivation to write, and it makes my day when I get to see what you guys think of my writings. And now, I'll try to update more often- and I'll try not to disappear off of the face of the earth again:) And hey! I've got art for this chapter!

Okay guys, so FF won't let me put a link directly in it. But if you search CedeK18 on tumblr you'll see it! Sorry guys. and if you have trouble finding it, just search #sadsong on my profile. But if you don't have a tumblr search "CedeK18 deviantart" in google


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